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ONLINE BRUSSELS HERITAGE - ONE-DAY SEMINAR - 11/12/2014
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS WHEN RENOVATING?
MICHAEL GOVAERT
ENERGY DIRECTORATE, BRUSSELS ENVIRONMENT
SINCE 2 JULY 2008, THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS (EPB) WORKS REGULATION, WHICH IMPOSES VARIOUS ENERGY PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, HAS APPLIED TO RENOVATION PROJECTS SUBJECT TO PLANNING PERMISSION IN THE BRUSSELS-CAPITAL REGION
The purpose of this presentation is to outline the energy performance requirements applicable to renovation projects and demystify the regulations. Indeed, there are numerous fears circulating within the sector that are often the result of miscommunication.
THE CONTEXT BEHIND THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS (EPB) REGULATION
As the audience is likely already aware, we currently face the dual dilemma of global warming and increasing energy prices. The issues that we have to deal with are therefore both environmental and social. In Brussels, buildings account for 70% of energy consumption; they are therefore the main source of greenhouse gas emissions and one of the main sources of atmospheric pollution in the city.
Since 2008, the Brussels-Capital Region has had a legal instrument at its disposal for improving the energy performance of buildings, namely the Ordinance on Energy Performance and the Internal Climate of Buildings. This ordinance transposes into Brussels law the 2002 European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings, the measures of which were strengthened in 2010 in light of the deteriorating situation. In this respect, the second draft of this directive provides for new buildings to be almost zero-energy by 2021. The Brussels Air, Climate and Energy Code (COBRACE) has incorporated these new European provisions in its EPB section. They come into force on 1st January 2015. There are multiple objectives: reducing primary energy needs to preserve natural resources; reducing CO2 emissions to combat climate change; improving the energy efficiency, internal climate and the technical installations of buildings; as well as informing any future owner or tenant about the energy rating of the desired property via the EPB certificate.
As part of the rewriting of the ordinance with a view to its incorporation within COBRACE, the “EPB Works” administrative procedure has been redesigned and simplified. I will therefore explain the “EPB Works” Regulation as it works in practice from 1st January 2015. It is worth noting that this designation refers to the section of the EPB regulation devoted to the energy performance requirements imposed within the context of a construction or renovation project.
10 | What are the requirements for the energy performance of buildings when renovating?
