research

Recommendation on Summer energy efficiency on national building codes

Abstract

The building regulations have a major role in controlling and limiting the energy consumption of the building sector. The Thermal Building Regulations of the European countries although had followed the EPBD Directive in what concerns the methodologies, differs on the re-quirements and recommendations on summer comfort and energy consumption for cooling, due to the particular conditions of each country. A review of the national building codes concerning envelope constructive solutions (opaque and transparent), thermal mass, ventilation rates, energy consumption methodology and correspondent values limits has been undertaken for the participating countries of the Keep-Cool II Project and, was extended to other countries, by consulting building codes, technical reports concerning energy use in buildings and by direct contacts with colleagues. The goal of this analysis consists on put in evidence the different strategies adopted and try to share and to supply information and experiences in so far as, the energy demand for cooling in European buildings is the energy use in the building sector with high increase rate among the other energy uses. In fact, cooling can be avoided or significantly reduced, with-out risking summer thermal comfort, by means of mature passive cooling solutions, renew-able energy sources and reducing internal heat gains. This present report summarizes, in Chapter 1, the information that has been compiled from questionnaire answers of partners of the Keep Cool II Project: Austria, France, Italy, German, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and United Kingdom. Chapter 2 summarizes de final remarks and conclusions of the building regulations related to summer comfort and energy for cooling in or order to contribute for the dissemination activi-ties. In the Annexes are the questionnaire (Annex A) and the systematized replies to the ques-tionnaire in a comparative form (Annex B), In the Annex C is the name of the experts that have answered to the questionnaire by country and institution. A review of the national build-ing codes for other European countries is presented In the Annex D: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia Republic, Spain

    Similar works