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The Energy-related Environmental Issues (EnREI) Programme was established in 1991 by DoE Construction Sponsorship Directorate and BRE, with the aim of reducing emissions of C02 and other greenhouse gases due to energy use in non-domestic buildings.
The UK is aiming to return its emissions of C02 and other greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by the year 2000, following the ratification of the 1992 Rio Climate Change Convention. The construction and building services sectors are a major area for action, since the construction and use of buildings account for about 50% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions.
The Programme addresses a range of key issues in the design and management of non-domestic buildings and their services. It covers nine main areas:
- A common energy targeting methodology for use at the early design stage;
- Passive and low energy cooling utilising thermal mass;
- Design and specification of air conditioning systems;
- Strategies for handling the phase-out of CFCs and HCFCs, including leak
- detection technologies;
- Natural ventilation of non-domestic buildings;
- Control of adventitious ventilation;
- Advanced management and control technologies employing artificial intelligence;
- Effective management and control of electric lighting and daylighting;
- Analysis of embodied energy in construction materials and products;
and includes some 21 different research projects, many of them in collaboration with industry, with a total annual budget of over £1. 5 million for 1994/95.