Climate Resilient Energy Efficient Low-income Housing in Egypt (CRLiH)

Summary

Developing countries in tropical and sub-tropical regions will be hit the worst by climate change. In Egypt, for instance, average annual temperatures are expected to increase by 2.1°C by 2050, and by 4.4°C by the end of the century, with the frequency and intensity of heat waves also expected to increase. Rising external temperatures significantly increase the risk of overheating, cooling load, energy consumption, and associated carbon emissions in buildings. Poor building design and quality also contribute to excessive energy consumption as well as to critical thermal discomfort which may lead to heat exhortation, heat syncope or heat stroke, with the vulnerable groups including children and older occupants of buildings most as risk. Because of their vulnerable living conditions and the limited access to appropriate/adequate infrastructure, the low-income populations from the low and medium HDI countries would suffer more from the effects of the climate change. The low level of awareness combined with the limited ability of the low-income people to adapt to climate change, make the situation even more critical. Unlike the rich countries who have the resources to adapt to climate change, adaptation in many developing countries is left to the individuals as a matter of “self-help”. The current situation will disproportionately affect the living standards and health and wellbeing of low-income populations the majority of whom live in substandard low-quality homes. Particular attention should therefore be paid to the low-income housing conditions not only to address the environmental concerns but also to improve the living standards and health and wellbeing of low-income people to increase their resilience to long-term environmental risks posed by the climate change. To this end, the CRLiH project intends to identify, develop, and then assess low-cost climate-proof retrofit strategies, to reduce energy consumptions and risk of overheating in low-income housing in Egypt.

Achievements

List of Publications from the Project

Partners

• University of East London

Project Members

• Marwra Aboelfetouh Elsayed Khalifa
• Ashraf Ali Ibrahim Nessim
• Amr Elbanhawy

Project Leaders