Building energy efficiency standards :
towards Nearly Zero Energy Buildings
(NZEB)
WEC kick off meeting – London, May 20th
Carine Sebi, Enerdata
Building efficiency standard
 Building energy codes aim at limiting the specific energy
consumption of new buildings by imposing minimum
energy requirements
 Since their first implementation in the 1970’s, they have
been updated and strengthened over time in OECD
countries and increasing number of emerging countries
 In OECD countries, they aim now at nearly Zero Energy
Building targets, in particular in Europe or Japan, Canada
or USA.
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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Building code implementation in G20 countries
≥6
Number of the Version
5
4
3
2
1
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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Outline
1. European policy requirements
2. Case studies: Denmark,UK, France, Germany
3. Outside Europe
European legislative framework
 Significantly strengthened in recent years by:
– the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD, 2010/31/EU),
– the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED, 2012/27/EU),
– and to a lesser degree, the Renewable Energy Directive (RED, 2009/28/EC).
 the three Directives set out a package of measures that create the
conditions for significant, long term improvements in the energy performance
of Europe's building stock.
 Member States are required to draw up national plans for increasing the
number of nearly Zero-Energy Buildings, plans shall include:
– A definition of nZEB according to national/local conditions (in kWh/m²)
– Intermediate targets for new buildings by 2015
– Information, financial or other measures adopted to promote nZEB +
details on the use of RE in new and existing building (major renovation)
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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European situation on nZEB
 Denmark, UK, France and Belgium (Brussels Region) had been already
established general strategies or aims on nZEB definitions.
(published in 2012)
 Approaches will be quite different from country to country
 Vary from zero carbon to explicit minimum primary energy values
 A gradual approach in form of a roadmap towards the 2020 target is
planned in most of the countries
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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Outline
1. European policy requirements
2. Case studies: Denmark,UK, France, Belgium
3. Outside Europe
Denmark 1rst with official commitment
 Set-up national nZEB definition and roadmap to 2020. Green Lighthouse, Denmark
 The minimum energy performance requirements gradually stricter
 Improvement done by increasing the requirements for buildings
insulation. In addition, the primary energy factors for electricity and
district heating have to be improved by 2020 and the renewable energy
supply from nearby and onsite will have to grow.
Nzeb definition and pathway
A=the heated gross floor area
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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Towards an nZEB in the United Kingdom
Doncaster Civic Office,
England
 Not yet officially committed in buildings regulations
 Different approach: focus on carbon emissions
 Targets: Zero Carbon Buildings by 2016 for new residential and by
2019 for all non-residential buildings
 From 2016 the carbon compliance limits for the building
performance should be :
o 10 kg CO2/m²/year for detached houses or ~46 kWh/m2/yr
o 11 kg CO2 /m²/year for attached houses or ~46 kWh/m2/yr
o 14 kg CO2 /m²/year for low rise apartment blocks or ~39 kWh/m2/yr
 It is discussed how investments in off-site renewable energy
(“allowable solutions”) can be taken into account in the nZEB
balance
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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France - BBC
Les Vignes 1, France
 ‘Grenelle Environnement’ recommended the adoption of more
ambitious requirements for all new constructions, i.e. at the same
levels as BBC, the voluntary low-energy standard in France.
 low energy requirements were adopted in the recast of the French
thermal regulation (RT 2012).
 RT 2012 set the minimum performance requirements at 50 kWh/m²/yr
in primary energy (incl. need for space heating, domestic hot water,
cooling, lighting and auxiliary energy like fans and pumps). The
minimum energy requirement is adjusted by climatic zone and altitude
and hence varies between 40 and 65 kWh/m²/yr.
 By 2020, the Grenelle -1 Law requires that all new building have to be
energy positive, i.e. to produce more renewable energy than the
building’s need.
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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nZEB in Belgium-Brussels Region
Le Lorraine, Brussels
 In 2011 - amended EPB Ordinance tightening requirements from
January 2015 onwards (at level of Passive House standard)
 nZEB definition/Minimum requirements from 2015:
o residential buildings:
 primary energy consumption below 45kWh/m2/yr and
 heating need below 15kWh/m2/yr.
o office and education buildings:
 primary energy consumption below (90-2.5*C) kWh/m2/yr and
 heating need below 15kWh/m2/yr and cooling need below
15kWh/m2/yr
(C=Volume/area)
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Concluding remarks
 Different definitions, in different contexts.
 On average the nZEB requirement corresponds to roughly 50 kWh/m²
today in Europe for new building:
Denmark
France
UK
Belgium
kWh/m²
60
40
20
BEPOS
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
 nZEB targets and concept target mainly NEW BUILDING
 nZEB requirement in existing buildings present several issues: on
implementation (juridical problem to enforce renovation),
acceptability (fuel poverty), etc.
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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Outline
1. European policy requirements
2. Case studies: Denmark,UK, France, Belgium
3. Outside Europe
nZEB process outside Europe (1/2)
 In Japan, nZEB as the necessity to reduce energy consumption
(“Basic Energy Plan”, METI, 2010) with policy target proliferation
toward 2020 and 2030. The target is as follows:
– for newly constructed public buildings, etc., by the year 2020.
– for an average of newly constructed buildings by the year 2030.
 Beyond 2015 Canadian Building Code, future update will include
energy performance improvements that. The national model energy
code for buildings in 2015 will establish today’s innovative
practices as the new minimum standards for tomorrow.
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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nZEB process outside Europe (2/2)
 USA executive Order 13514 defines reporting requirements with
detailed targets and timelines for Federal agencies that shall in the
beginning in 2020 and thereafter, ensuring that all new Federal
buildings that enter the planning process are designed to achieve
zero-net-energy by 2030
 Beginning January 1, 2014, significant California Green Building
Standards (CALGreen) effort begins to make all new residential
construction in NZEB by 2020 (and by 2030 for commercial). To date,
California has more zero net energy buildings than any other state in
the US.
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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www.enerdata.net
Contact:
Thank you for your attention !
Carine SEBI
Senior Analyst
Carine.sebi@enerdata.net
Entranze project objectives
 To actively support policy making by providing the required data,
analysis and guidelines to achieve a fast and strong penetration of
nZEB and RES-H/C within the existing national building stocks.
 To connect building experts from European research and academia to
national decision makers and key stakeholders with a view to build
ambitious, but reality proof, policies and roadmaps.
The core part of the project is the dialogue with policy makers and experts
and will focus on nine countries, covering >60% of the EU-27 building
stock. Data, scenarios and recommendations will also be provided for EU27 (+ Croatia and Serbia)
http://www.entranze.eu/home/eu/
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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Germany
Adelhausen, Germany
 Nzeb requirement implemented within Revised Energy Conservation
Act (EnEG) which is in force since July 2013
 “Translation” of the overall NZEB concept into a concrete standard,
interim targets etc. still pending (may be 50% better than the
buildings performance nowadays in 2020)
 Ongoing discussion about appropriate instruments addressing
modernisation of building stock (incl. implementation of Art 13(4)
RED)
 Emerging debate about NZEB contributions delivered by thermal
insulation of building envelope and supply systems
WEC- kick off meeting – London, 20th May
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