Page 16 - European Energy Innovation - Summer 2015 publication

Summer 2015 European Energy Innovation
LOW CARBON TECHNOLOGIES
A Low Carbon Built Environment:
policy to practice through a
bottom-up approach
By Professor Phillip Jones, Chair of the European COST Action “Smart Energy Regions” (TU1104)
SOLCER low carbon dwelling
The need for an eventual
transition towards a
zero-carbon planet is
nowadays generally
accepted. Burning fossil fuel
at global, local and building
scale negatively affects the
environment and influences
climate change, having a strong
impact on air pollution and the
security of energy supply. The
problem is how and over what
period, this transition takes place,
and also how government and
industry will rise to this societal
challenge.
Globally, the built environment
accounts for nearly 50% of
CO2 emission, and significantly
more if urban transportation is
included. We have been working
for more than 40 years since the
1970’s oil crisis on how to make
buildings more energy efficient.
We understand how to plan and
design for low to zero carbon
buildings. Therefore, it is high-
time we start to implement it
wide-scale.
The EU-funded COST Action1
“Smart Energy Regions”,
chaired by Professor Philip
Jones (UK) investigates how
academic research, industry and
government can work together
in order to deliver a low carbon
built environment. The COST
Action (TU1104 – Smart-ER), now
in its final year, has been looking
at the drivers and barriers that
may impact on the long-term
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