The PUrE Intrawise Project

The aim of the PUrE Intrawise consortium is to develop an integrated decision-support framework for more sustainable management of indoor pollution associated with the provision, conservation and use of energy in buildings.

We spend some 90% of our time inside buildings so that indoor air quality can have an impact on our health. Indoor air quality is affected by:

Building design - air-tight buildings increase thermal efficiency but also reduce ventilation thus increasing indoor pollution.
Ventilation - can lead to ingress of outdoor air pollution and reduced energy efficiency.
Thermal insulation - improves energy efficiency but reduces ventilation leading to increased indoor moisture and creation of mould; mould has been linked to respiratory and other health problems.
Energy provision - burning fuels in domestic appliances (i.e. gas boilers and cookers) can potentially be hazardous to the health.
Energy switching – changing from fossil fuels to biomass, photo-voltaics, fuel cells etc., reduces the impact on the indoor environment; however, it causes environmental and health impacts elsewhere in the life cycle.

PUrE Intrawise builds on the PUrE project. While PUrE focused on outdoor pollution, PUrE Intrawise is concerned with developing a framework for management of indoor pollution. The framework will be applied to a number of case studies that will compare the environmental, health and economic implications of the principal options for future home energy provision, to aid policy development.

The main deliverables from the PUrE Intrawise project will be:

A report on the current and future household energy options and related pollutants;
A Decision-support framework to enable sustainability comparisons of household energy options;
Case studies related to energy efficiency; modal switching; and micro-generation; and
Guidance for regulation and policy for more sustainable provision and use of energy in households.

For more information visit http://www.pureintrawise.org or email info@pureintrawise.org.