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Policies and Measures Addressing Climate Change: Building and Housing, 2007
Policy Name
Austria
Belgium
Description
Federal Promotion of
Extraordinary Efficiency
in Buildings
Residential buildings must clearly exceed regulatory standards to qualify for state funding. The agreement includes an
initial insulation standard of 65kWh per square metre, falling to 25-45 kWh/m2 by 2010. It also introduces new incentives for use of renewable heating systems. Total funding available is to remain at EUR 1.78 bill. The programme is
expected to generate 10,000 additional jobs.
Energy Efficient Housing
Programmes – Constitutional
Treaty Between Austrian
Federation and Länder
The Länder (federal provinces) administer subsidies of more than EUR 2 bill. annually for housing support programmes.
The agreement provides for:
• shift of subsidies from construction of new dwelling to thermal renovation of existing dwellings;
• high quality standards for thermal renovation, including the whole building shell (exterior walls, windows and doors,
ceilings and roof);
• maximum energy performance codes for newly constructed buildings that go well beyond standards that are foreseen
in general construction codes;
• replacement of old fossil fuel heating systems by highly efficient systems based on renewable energy (solar or biomass) or natural gas.
Energy Consulting for Households: KlimaAktiv leben to
Employ Chimney-Sweepers
as Climate Ambassadors
Part of the larger Austrian climate strategy, the KlimaAktiv leben campaign partners with the nation's chimney sweepers
to publicize energy efficiency measures in residences. The chimney sweepers visit households and bring with them
easy-to-implement energy-saving advice while identifying possible needs for expert consulting in energy efficiency matters or useful investments in energy-saving and climate protection measures. The chimney sweepers supply households
with specific advice on how to save energy. To assess the need for professional energy consulting, they complete a
questionnaire together with the customer to gauge the interest of the household in receiving further information, more
intensive consulting by an energy consultant, or in taking specific rehabilitation action.
Following the chimney sweepers' visits, the Austrian Federal Provinces energy consultants assist households with qualified consultation.
Combined Heat and Power
(CHP)
The Green Electricity Act established a budget limit for CHP support in Austria based on a CHP surcharge cap imposed
on electricity sold to end consumers, which was to decline from 0.15 Cent/kWh in 2003 to 0.05 Cent/kWh in 2010. The
CHP support tariff for 2003 and 2004 was capped at 1.5 Cent/kWh or 1.25 Cent/kWh, depending on conformity to the
efficiency and district heating standards laid out in the Green Electricity Act. These CHP arrangements provided for
equal treatment of all CHP plants in Austria and one harmonised CHP surcharge paid for by the end consumer throughout Austria.
Subsidies to Improve Energy
Efficiency of Public Buildings
− Wallonia & Brussels Capital
Region
Wallonia aims to promote the rational use of energy - including building insulation and efficient heating - among renewable energy sources. Therefore Walloon Region subsidizes low-income households to improve the energy efficiency of
their dwellings. Additionally a region's funds go to municipal, provincial and regional buildings, and to schools and hospitals. The Region also provides a subsidy to municipalities for the replacement cost of inefficient public lighting. The
subsidy covers some 70% or more, depending on the energy efficiency of the replacement.
Brussels Capital Region:
The Brussels Capital Region allocates subsidies to municipalities, local public bodies, schools and hospitals. Subsidies
amount to 20% of the investment costs if they are considered to be of an energy efficient nature. Energy audits are subsidised up to 50% of the cost to a maximum.
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Policies and Measures Addressing Climate Change: Building and Housing, 2007
Policy Name
Description
Belgium (cont.)
Support for Pre-Feasability
Studies – Wallonia
The Walloon Region supports part of the costs of pre-feasibility studies carried out in the private sector to evaluate potential energy efficiency or renewable energy investments within a company. This programme, called AMURE, also offers incentives to offset costs related to technical certification. The maximum available allowance amounts to:
• 75% of total feasibility study costs calculated on the basis of quotes provided by ministry-approved independent companies.
• 60% of total certification costs.
France
District Heating
Classification
A decree on 5 May 1999 introduced a simplified procedure for classifying district heating using renewable energy or
cogeneration, allowing local authorities to obligate new buildings in specified zones to be connected to the district heating grid.
Italy
Regional Measures to
Promote the Rational Use
of Energy: Apulia Outdoor
Lighting
The Code specified the correct orientation of buildings’ external lighting systems – to be lit from above, aside from
monuments - and street lighting. The code further established technical standards for efficiency, distance and light flow
regulation to reduce nocturnal light pollution and improve energy efficiency.
Existing lighting systems were required to comply before 2010.
Luxembourg
Subsidies and Promotion of
District Heating and Energy
Conservation in Public
Buildings and Municipalities
Establishment of an energy accounting system and plans for district heating networks to be linked to public buildings
and private homes within a larger aim to promote the rational use of energy and renewable sources in state and municipal buildings.
Netherlands
Energy Performance
Certificate
(Energieprestatiecertificaat)
Measures include:
• Methodology for calculating the energy performance of buildings.
• Application of performance standards on new and existing buildings.
• Certification schemes for all buildings.
• Regular inspection and assessment of boilers/heating and cooling installations.
Renewables for
Government Buildings
Under Dutch implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, a scheme for joint purchasing of energy for government buildings is
effective. The objective is to arrive at a climate - neutral supply of energy for government structures by 2012. In the period 2002-2004, a mandate required that 50% of the consumption of electricity of all government buildings to be derived
from renewable energy sources.
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Policies and Measures Addressing Climate Change: Building and Housing, 2007
Policy Name
Portugal
Building Certification
Program
United Kingdom Large-scale PV
Demonstration Project
Description
Measures include:
• Methodology for calculating the energy performance of buildings.
• Application of performance standards on new and existing buildings.
• Certification schemes for all buildings.
Regular inspection and assessment of boilers/heating and cooling installations.
• Certify the energy performance and the indoor air quality of buildings.
• Identify the corrective or cost-effective improvement performance measures applicable to buildings and respective
energy systems, such as boilers and air conditioning equipment’s, in what respects energy performance and indoor air
quality.
Energy certificates will be required whenever:
• Buildings are new, before the use permit concession.
• Buildings are rented or sold, before the respective contract celebration.
• Buildings undergo major renovations, before the use permit concession.
All large public buildings, above 1000m2 of floor area (museums, large supermarkets, shopping centres, etc), will be
required to display this certificate.
Except for buildings subjected to periodic audits and supervision, the building certificate is valid for 10 years.
The certification of buildings and inspection of boilers and air-conditioning systems are carried out in an independent
manner by qualified and/or accredited experts, whether operating as sole traders or employed by public or private enterprise bodies.
General Directorate for Geology and Energy (DGGE) and Environment Institute are, respectively, the entities in charge
of the supervision of the building energy certification system (SCE) in what concerns:
• energy efficiency certification
• indoor air quality.
The scheme closes on 31 May and we expect most of the GBP 31.75 mill. to have been spent by this time.
Two types of grants have been made available:
Stream 1 Grants are small-scale individual applications (between 0.5kWp and 5 kWp) that target households, small and
medium-sized businesses and public and community groups such as schools. Different grant amounts apply to building
mounted and integrated PV systems: Building mounted systems grants were provided for the lesser of GBP 3,000/kWp
or 50% of total eligible costs. Integrated systems grants were provided for the lesser of GBP 4,250/kWp or 50% of total
eligible costs. The programme operated on a first come first served basis with funds being allocated almost automatically provided the proposed installation met certain basic criteria.
Stream 2 Grants attracted applications from housing groups, private developers, local authorities, large companies etc
and were operated through a quarterly competitive call where criteria such as cost, level of integration, innovation and
geographical location were taken into account.
The grants were for medium to large scale applications (between 5kWp and 100 kWp). Grants covered: up to 55% of
eligible costs for public bodies, up to 50% of eligible costs for small to medium sized enterprises and up to 40% of eligible costs for large companies.
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Policies and Measures Addressing Climate Change: Building and Housing, 2007
Policy Name
Australia
Japan
Description
Performance Standards and
5-Star Rating for Buildings:
MEPS and NatHERs
Revised on 1 May 2006, Building Code Australia (BCA) includes new Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS)
for all classes of buildings, from homes to carparks. To complement passage of the revised MEPS, Australian governments agreed to implement a consistent Nation-wide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) to enable householders
to assess energy efficiency of houses and make more informed choices about housing purchases and renovation.
From 1 May 2006, minimum energy performance standards increased to 5 Star Rating. Since the BCA is a performance
based Code, builders and designers have the option of meeting these new standards in one of two ways:
• By following the ‘deemed to satisfy’ prescriptions in the Code; or by achieving the required house energy performance
rating using an accredited software tool. The stringency of this standard equates to 4 stars.
• As announced by the federal and territorial governments, all new residential buildings would meet a five star energy
rating from May 2006.
Office Building Greenhouse
Rating Scheme
Launched in 2001, the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR) scheme provided accredited assessments of the
greenhouse intensity of office buildings by awarding a star rating on a scale of one to five.
Government Energy
Efficiency Action: Public
Buildings, Operations and
Vehicles
To reduce the intensity of energy use in Commonwealth operations, the Australian government launched a series of
measures involving multiple sectors of energy efficiency.
Government agencies were required to document their progress by submitting energy consumption data annually to the
Australian Greenhouse Office within the Department of Environment and Heritage. Energy intensities were calculated
and used to track changes in energy performance over time to enable simple comparisons between similar facilities.
The 2004 publication of a green vehicle guide (GVG) provided comparative environmental ratings and fuel consumption
figures for all light vehicles sold in Australia.
Basis Program for Housing:
Energy Efficiency Standards
To improve housing standards over the next 10 years, the Ministry has clear targets for housing by 2015:
40 percent of housing should have energy saving measures, for example double-paned windows (18% as of 2003); and
to increase the life span of housing to about 40 years (about 30 years as of 2003).
PV: Photo voltaic; kWp: Kilo Watt peak (peak performance)
Source: IAE, Climate Change Database (http://www.iea.org/textbase/pm/Default.aspx?mode=cc), accessed 14. September 2007.
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