7 Existing policies and incentives
7.4 Energy requirements for the residential sector (new and existing)
ex-isting energy requirements for newly built housing and the housing stock. In most countries, the requirements for new buildings should be met when complexes or dwellings are renovated on a large-scale. The main sources here are the information papers in which EU Member States indicate how they are going to implement the EPBD in their national regulations (www.buildingsplatform.eu).
Austria
Requirements for new buildings are set out in a guideline developed by the Austrian Institute of Building Technique and include:
Maximum annual final energy consumption per m² of floor area.
Maximum u-values of different elements of the building.
Building air-tightness.
Prevention of thermal bridges.
Requirements on the quality of boilers, aeration systems and chillers as well as on systems for storage and distribution.
The proof of compliance with the requirements must be made before and after com-pletion of the building. Municipal authorities are responsible for controlling if the re-quirements are being met. Residential buildings have to fulfil special rere-quirements.
Additional requirements may be fixed by the federal states.
The requirements for existing buildings are also set out in the mentioned guideline.
They include mainly demands on:
Maximum annual final energy consumption per m² of floor area.
Maximum u-values of different elements of the building.
Prevention of thermal bridges.
Requirements on quality of boilers, aeration systems and chillers.
Finland
The Finnish energy regulations apply to
Building components and air-tightness of the building envelope and, Thermal insulation of the building envelope.
The regulations are binding and concern the construction of new buildings. The regulations are applicable to renovation and alteration works only insofar as the type and extent of the measure and a possible change in use of the building require. The instructions are not binding but considered as currently acceptable solutions.
France
In May 2006, the French government adopted the minimum requirements for new buildings. The requirements came into force for building permits requested after 1 September 2006. The type and level of requirements are governed by the function of the type of building (dwellings, office buildings, schools, etc.) and may cover:
Maximum U-values for windows, walls, roofs and ceilings.
Requirement on average insulation level.
Maximum primary energy consumption per m² of floor area.
Maximum interior temperature in summer.
The calculation procedures include the:
Influence of climate.
Position and orientation of buildings, including outdoor climate.
Passive solar systems and solar protection.
Indoor climate conditions, including the designed indoor climate.
Active solar systems and other heating and electricity systems based on re-newable energy sources.
Natural lighting.
The French government is going to adopt minimum requirements for new building components when building renovation is done and for extensions to existing build-ings. The levels of these requirements are now decided, but will concern in particular:
Boilers fired by non-renewable liquid or solid fuel.
Electric heating systems.
Air-conditioning systems.
Hot water production systems.
Windows and glazed walls (with or without openings).
Equipment for energy production using renewable energy sources.
Insulation materials for transparent walls.
Ventilation systems.
Lighting systems.
It is expected that the requirements for existing dwellings will come into force from the end of 2007 onwards.
Germany
The level of requirements for new buildings is governed by the function and the type of building (residential and non-residential with detailed conditions of use) and also the ratio between surface/volume. They consist of:
A maximum primary energy demand.
A maximum average u-value.
Maximal u-values of each element of the building’s fabric.
Several requirements on the quality of boilers, controls and pipe insulation.
Building air-tightness.
The prevention of thermal bridges.
The requirements in cases of refurbishment consist of either:
A maximum primary energy demand (140% new buildings), and A maximum average u-value (140% new buildings), or
Maximum u-values (which are state of the art) for each element of the refur-bishment.
The requirements have to be met if more than 20% of the element in question (walls, windows, roof/upper ceiling, cellar ceiling/walls) is subject to refurbishment.
The Netherlands
The main requirement for new buildings and major renovations is to comply with a given maximum value for the Energy Performance Coefficient (EPC). At the mo-ment, this value is 0.8 in the Netherlands. In the current national building regula-tions, proof that the requirements are met must be given before the completion of the building. Verification of this legal provision is the responsibility of the local au-thority building control where the building is located.
For small renovations there are minimum requirements concerning ventilation and insulation.
Sweden
Sweden first adopted minimum requirements for all new buildings in 1942. The latest requirements came into force for building permits requested after 1 July 2006. The
type and level of requirements are different for residential and non-residential build-ings. A maximum energy consumption per m² of tempered floor area is given (for heating, cooling and domestic hot water demand) along with other advice about comfort and the indoor environment. There are two climate zones. The proof of compliance must be made within 24 months of the completion of the building. Con-trol of this regulation is the responsibility of the municipality where the building is located.
The requirements for existing buildings are under revision. The existing regulations state that if the building is renovated or extended the changed part of the building should fulfil the requirements for new buildings. There may be exceptions to this, for example, cultural or listed buildings.
Switzerland
The energy regulations are at the level of cantons and are based on the norm SIA 380/1. For new buildings, there are minimum energy requirements. These require-ments do not apply to all renovations, but only to transformations and extensions of buildings. In these cases, the minimum energy requirement is 140% of the value for newly built (BFE 2005). The cantons are also involved in the private label MINERGIE®, with more stern prescriptions than the legal ones.
United Kingdom
We describe here the current situation in England and Wales. The energy require-ments for new buildings in England and Wales came into force in April 2006. A building complies with the regulations if it satisfies the following tests:
CO2 emissions per m² lower than the target. The building design is acceptable if the emissions are below a target level, which is set at between 20% and 28% below the national building standard, depending on the type of building and the level of servicing provided. The more intensely the building is ser-viced, the greater the improvement required (20% for dwellings, 28% for air conditioned buildings). This approach provides maximum flexibility to the designer but focuses attention on energy efficiency to reduce CO2 emissions as the main compliance target.
Limits on design flexibility for building fabric and energy systems.
Limits on solar gains for non air-conditioned buildings (the cooling load cal-culation procedures address solar gain in air-conditioned buildings).
Construction quality - including air tightness and commissioning tests.
Satisfactory provision of operating and maintenance instructions.
The requirements for existing buildings also came into force in April 2006. When work is carried out on existing buildings, all such work is expected to meet minimum energy efficiency standards defined at the elemental level. For certain types of major improvement works in buildings with floor areas over 1000 m² where the work has the potential to increase energy intensity (e.g. extending the building or installing air conditioning), there is a further requirement for additional improvements to energy efficiency, provided these are technically, functionally and economically feasible.