Driving existing building energy improvement: Building codes and performance standards - a tale of two regulatory routes

Panel: 7. Policies for a green recovery in the buildings sector

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Adam Hinge, Sustainable Energy Partnerships, USA
Fiona Brocklehurst, Ballarat Consulting, United Kingdom

Abstract

In many parts of the world, building energy codes (or regulations) have been the policy instrument of choice to drive improvements in building energy efficiency. Originally conceived to raise the minimum standard for new buildings, codes have been extended to existing buildings, particularly when a building is undergoing a substantial extension or renovation. However, there is increasing need to improve existing building energy performance much more rapidly than seems possible through this means, so a new policy lever, building performance standards, or minimum energy performance standards, is being adopted in a number of jurisdictions. These policies require existing buildings to meet a performance benchmark, generally an energy performance rating, or a level of energy or carbon intensity, often giving building owners multiple years to meet them.

There are a variety of implementation issues and challenges with both codes and performance standards, and different approaches are being tested in various national and sub-national jurisdictions around the world. This paper reviews the state of play with these, compares the issues and benefits of different policy approaches, and summarizes where different approaches may fit best.

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