UCL to co-ordinate UK effort to accelerate sustainability of the built environment

University College London has been unanimously voted in to the role of UK representative on the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme (IEA EBC).

The IEA EBC Programme aims to accelerate the transformation of the built environment towards more energy efficient and sustainable buildings and communities by encouraging international collaborative research that aims to foster the development of knowledge and technologies.

Represented by Professor Paul Ruyssevelt (UCL Energy Institute) and Dr Rokia Raslan (Bartlett School of Graduate Studies), UCL’s involvement in the Programme was announced at the 73rd IEA EBC Executive Committee meeting held in Rome (13th - 14th June 2013), and will take the form of a co-ordination role, working with other UK organisations to become involved in the IEA EBC’s research projects.

Dr Rokia Raslan said: ‘The IEA EBC is a leading international network of organisations commissioning and undertaking research in the field of energy use in buildings and communities. We are extremely pleased to be able to take on this key role and are keen to facilitate increased collaboration between the wider UK energy research community and the IEA EBC and bring UK research to the forefront of global research in this area.’

This transition has come about in connection with the establishment of Research Councils UK Centre for Energy Epidemiology (CEE) at UCL. As one of six Centres of expertise focusing on End-User Energy Demand, CEE will be linked to both UK academic and industry bodies and will provide a secretariat for a new international network. The IEA EBC role will play an essential part in establishing this network and will enable UCL to facilitate the close coordination of CEE activities with IEA EBC work and ensure that the UK research community gains opportunities for collaboration in IEA EBC Annexes.

In working to support this engagement, UCL will also look to feedback activities of EBC to UK research communities and will look for synergies with wider opportunities and potential funding at an EU level that might increase these benefits even further.

For further information please contact Ellie Jones, Communications Officer at the UCL Energy Institute – e.jones@ucl.ac.uk 0207 679 9027