| earth construction | construction incorporating earth as a material. |
| earth sheltering | building below ground level; an earth-sheltered structure provides an interior climate which is generally closer to comfort level than a conventional interior space. savings on heating and cooling bills are often in the range of 40-60%. |
| earthships | using discarded tyres, earth is rammed into them, they are then bermed into a bank and daubed with a cement or lime plaster. |
| eaves | eaves are the external horizontal overhang of a roof over a wall of a building. |
| eco-design | design philosophy and methodologies that promote a material and social ethic of care for the products and processes which are designed, so that full life cycle considerations and social impacts are integrated into the design of the product or process. |
| eco-efficiency | the delivery of competitively priced goods and services while, at the same time, reducing ecological impacts and resource use throughout the product life cycle. |
| eco-friendly | a development or decision which results in a beneficial effect on the environment or at least not causing environmental damage. |
| eco-homes | building research establishment assessment method similar to breeam for residential developments. |
| eco-house | a house which has systems attempting to minimise negative effects on the environment such as increased insulation, renewable energy generation, greywater recycling |
| eco-label | information (typically provided on a label attached to a product) informing a potential consumer of a product's characteristics, or of the production or processing method(s) used in its production. |
| ecological footprint | a system based on global hectares that allows environmental impact to be measured and compared. this measurement gives statements like. if everyone on the planet lived a western lifestyle we would need 4 planets to be able to survive. |
| edible landscaping | landscaping containing vegetation which is cultivated for its ability to be eaten and digested by humans, for example, fruit trees. |
| education for sustainable development | enables people to develop the knowledge, values and skills to participate in decisions about the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally and globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future. |
| efficacy | the amount of light output (lumen) per watt of input electricity to a lamp. |
| embodied energy | all the energy required to grow, harvest, extract, manufacture, refine, process, package, transport, install and dispose of a particular product or building material. the energy used during the entire life cycle of a commodity i.e. manufacture, transportation and disposal. |
| emissivity | emissivity is a measure of the radiation emitted from a surface. 'black bodies' (materials with matt black surfaces) have a high emissivity & emit large amounts of radiation. in contrast shiny surfaces, such as polished aluminium, have a low emissivity. this characteristic can be exploited in buildings by providing aluminium foil facings on insulation materials, facing out towards cavities to reduce the radiated heat loss. matt black has a typical emissivity of 0.95, compared to 0.08 for polished aluminium. but most building surfaces, even white painted surfaces, have high emissivities, of around 0.90 to 0.95. |
| energy conservation | using less energy, irrespective of whether the benefits increase, decrease or stay the same. |
| energy efficiency | the more efficient use of energy in order to reduce economic costs and environmental impacts. using less energy/electricity to perform the same function |
| energy efficiency standards | it has been established that there is an overlap between building regulations and land use planning. principally local authorities use building regulation powers to control the energy efficiency of buildings. approved document l of the building regulations requires minimum standards for the conservation of fuel and power in buildings and applies to proposals for new buildings, conversions, refurbishment or change of use. |
| energy recovery ventilator (erv) | an air to air heat exchanger or pre-conditioner, designed to reduce the energy required to heat or cool required outdoor air in mechanical ventilation systems by as much as 80%. these products exchange temperature and moisture properties from one air stream to another. the result is capturing the cooling or heating energy from the exhaust air before it leaves the building. |
| engineered wood | reconstituted wood products that result in strength appropriate for a given use and consistent quality with less material. |
| environment agency | this statutory body oversees, enforces and promotes a more integrated approach to water and waste management and more consistent approach to waste regulation. |
| environmental education | the process of recognising values and clarifying concepts in order to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to understand and appreciate the inter-relatedness among people, their culture and biological and physical surroundings. |
| environmental impact | the environmental consequences of land or site development. |
| environmental impact statement (eis) | detailed report required by the government and prepared by qualified engineers and landscape architects for large projects or those in environmentally sensitive areas. |
| environmental management system (ems) | is part of the management system of an organisation in which specific competencies, behaviours, procedures and demands for the implementation of an operational environmental policy are defined; the most popular kind of ems is iso 14001. in wales green dragon can be used. |
| environmental sustainability | satisfying the needs of the present without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. |
| eutrophication | the process by which a body of water accumulates nutrients, particularly nitrates and phosphates. this process can be accelerated by nutrient-rich runoff or seepage from agricultural land or from sewage outfalls, leading to rapid and excessive growth of algae and aquatic plants and undesirable changes in water quality. |
| expanded and extruded polystyrene (eps) | polystyrene, a plastic that is formed with cfcs or hcfcs into pellets and compressed into sheets, or extruded into closed cell sheets and used for insulation. |