Forms part of the Centre’s continuing efforts to promote wide dissemination and commercialization of renewable energy technologies.

Its aim is to assist decision-makers in national and local government to develop effective and affordable strategies to address the common problems facing elderly and disabled people and to improve their daily lives.

Over the past decade there has been a rapid increase in both awareness and concern about the impact of buildings on the global environment.

The bulk of the population in developing countries is poor and survives on non-commercial energy sources such as fuelwood, agricultural residues or animal dung which are the most easily available and can be gathered at almost zero private cost.

These training materials have evolved from many years of work with managers representing a wide range of settings worldwide.

Deals with the necessity of energy conservation in developing countries as they become industralized and their populations grow - the need for increasing amounts of energy places a heavy burden on energy-supply systems.

Emphasizes the possibilities of using renewable sources of energy instead of conventional fuels to heat buildings in the cool season and to heat them in the hot season through the proper design and construction of buildings.

Describes a low-cost innovative sanitation technology which has particular application in high-density, low-income settlements.

Particularly in rural areas, the difficulty of providing energy for human settlements is becoming one of the greatest constraints on the improvement of living conditions.