The Implication of EU Energy Performance of Building Directive - Report Example

In 2003 the European Commission introduced the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in recognition of the importance of energy savings in the urban housing stock. One of the key elements described in the Directive is the introduction of energy certificates in a property transaction. This article discusses the anticipated efficiency and effectiveness of the application of the energy certificate on the existing building stock in the UK. We argue that, although energy certificates as a communication instrument for household appliances have appeared to be relatively successful, the different nature of the building sector can mean their effectiveness here will be rather limited.

Incentives need to be introduced to support taking up the improvements recommended by the energy certificate. Effective results can probably be expected from introducing regulations combined with energy certificate standards, but it requires a rather drastic approach and needs time to receive sufficient commitment.The European Union Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) was published in the Official Journal on the 4th January 2003.The overall objective of the Directive is to:Promote the improvement of the energy performance of buildings within the community taking into account outdoor climatic and local conditions, as well as indoor climate requirements and condition effectiveness.

The Directive Implementation Advisory Group (DIAG) has been established to advise the Government upon the Directive’s effective and timely implementation.BRIEF SYNOPSIS(i) Indoor climatic conditions, including the designed indoor climate.In addition, the methodology needs to take account of active solar systems and other heating and electricity systems based on renewable energy sources, electricity produced by CHP, district or block heating and cooling systems, and natural lighting.

In the UK a system incorporating most of the above has been in place for some years now for dwellings: this is the Government's Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings, or SAP. SAP was reviewed and extended so as ensure compliance with the Directive and to enable its use for regulations and energy performance certificates, leading to the current version known as SAP 2005. Although the basic model is unchanged the revision has been quite extensive at the detailed level, ranging from a more complete treatment of fabric heat loss to the addition or enhancement of low and zero carbon technologies (LZCT) such as micro-CHP, heat pumps, solar collectors, photovoltaic and biomass boilers.

SAP covers dwellings with a total floor area up to 450 m². For non-domestic buildings and larger dwellings, a new methodology has been developed, known as the Simplified Building Energy Model, or SBEM. This is a similar model to SAP, based primarily on draft European standards that are presently being written to support the EPBD. It accommodates a wide range of building types, ranging from offices and retail units through to schools, hospitals, hotels, warehouses and airport terminals, amongst many others.

Buildings can be sub-divided into zones with different activities, e.g. for an office building this includes cellular office, open-plan office, meeting room, reception, plant room, corridors, etc. This allows appropriate internal conditions and internal heat gains to be set appropriate within each zone for the purposes of the calculation. As well as specifying details of the fabric construction, the model incorporates a variety of building services for heating, air-conditioning, ventilation and lighting, and can also take into account LZCT such as solar panels, photovoltaic, wind generators and CHP.

It will also be possible to use other detailed simulation tools that have been approved by ODPM, particularly for cases involving innovative features that may not be adequately modeled in SBEM. (www.rics.org/NR/rdonlyres//rics_eu_epbd.doc) Part L of the Building Regulations The EPBD instructs Member States to take measures to ensure that minimum energy performance requirements are set. It does not specify what the performance standards should be, or how they should be arrived at: that is for determination by each Member State.

However, it applies to all buildings, both new and existing, although the different performance levels can be set for new and existing buildings. The performance requirements are to be based on the calculation methodology and are to be reviewed at least every five years. The Building and Approved Inspectors (Amendment) Regulations 2006 amended the Building Regulations in England and Wales with effect from 6 April 2006. There is a set of new Approved Documents: L1A for new dwellings, L1B for work in existing dwellings (including extensions), L2A for new non-domestic buildings and L2B for work in existing non-domestic buildings.

For new buildings (of all types) the new regulations implement the calculation methodology as a central part of demonstrating compliance. Essentially it has to be demonstrated that the annual CO2 emissions from the proposed building will not exceed a target level that is established by reference to the calculated emissions from a notional gas-heated building of the same size and shape as the proposed building. The notional building complies precisely with the minimum requirements of the 2002 Part L regulations and, to establish the target emissions, an improvement factor is applied, i.e. as well implementing the EPBD the new regulations also raise the performance standards. (www.dsdni.gov.uk/epc_final.pdf) For dwellings the improvement factor is 20%, for naturally ventilated non-domestic buildings 15% and for mechanically ventilated and air-conditioned non-domestic buildings 20%.

For non-domestic buildings there is an additional LZC benchmark of 10%, so that the overall improvement required is 23.