Brief report on the question of further developing or converting requirement systems and standards in the Building Energy Act

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The GEG currently stipulates primary energy requirements and transmission heat losses as the relevant parameters. The project investigates alternative parameters, the further development of the reference building method and the economic viability of requirements based on the ‘Efficiency House 55’ standard.

The aim of the project was to examine and further develop the framework conditions for the development of adequate requirement criteria for energy-related building assessment and the economic evaluation of measures. In particular, the fundamental question of supplementing or converting the requirement system from a primary energy assessment of energy supply to an assessment of GHG emissions or other energy parameters, including the share of renewable energies or substitute fulfilment, as well as a requirement system for building efficiency (e.g. heating energy demand, structural thermal insulation, etc.) had to be analysed.

The requirement criteria laid down in the GEG and the associated economic efficiency assessment are based on studies that must be adapted to changed framework conditions (e.g. CO2 pricing) in order to develop and evaluate proposals for new standards for residential and non-residential buildings, both in new construction and in building renovation, on the basis of a requirement system that may need to be adapted.

With this work, the project is laying the foundation for a follow-up project that will continue and deepen these analyses.