EPBD REVIEW GUIDELINES - INFO  ON SHADING

The EPBD review 2018 needs to be transposed by Member States (MS) before 10 March 2020. 

The EU Commission made two guidelines to support MS in their transposition:

Building Renovation, May 8th 2019, see publication

Building modernization, June 9th 2019, see publication

What are the main points and what does it mean for shading?  

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION (EU) 2019/786 of 8 May on building RENOVATION - MAIN POINTS 

The main objective of the Directive is to increase renovation rates for buildings in the EU, including major renovations towards zero carbon & zero energy buildings by 2050.

How? MS have to define Long Term Renovation Strategies (SRLT) with intermediate targets to put in place  by 2030/40/50.

I. Important is that MS have to estimate energy savings and the wider benefits, among which:

• Promotion of " higher levels of comfort and well-being for the occupants"
• Promotion of “proper installation and adaptation of building technical systems" (including heating and air conditioning, ventilation, automation and building control) 
• "Lowering health and illness costs, increasing labor productivity through better living and working conditions"
• "Measures to adapt buildings to climate change, such as shading devices that prevent buildings from overheating during heat waves, systems that have a direct impact on the energy consumption of buildings by limiting the need for active cooling. "

->  the benefits of solar shading solutions have been explicitly recognised by the European Commission to combat overheating due to climate change. Moreover, solar shading to use by priority and so to limit  active cooling energy. 

 II - The calculation method of the energy performance of buildings is clarified and must take into account (in particular) current energy consumption, i.e. the energy used for:

• The traditional uses (heating, cooling, hot water production, ventilation, integrated lighting)
• and other building technical systems  which now integrates building automation and control (BACS).

The Commission recalls that the positive influence of local solar exposure, electricity generated by cogeneration, district heating and cooling systems and energy efficiency must be taken into account and of natural lighting. MS are encouraged to verify that these elements are properly considered in their regulations.

  “COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION (EU) 2019/1019 of 7 June on building MODERNISATION"- MAIN POINTS

The Directive gives a greater impact  to building automation and control systems: i.e. "a system comprising all products, software and engineering services capable of supporting the operation of energy efficient, economical and safe from building automation systems by means of automatic controls and by facilitating the manual management of such building technical systems"  (art 2 EPBD), therefore: 

• Inspection changes with an increased role for building automation and control systems and electronic monitoring and control systems.

• Installing effective electronic tracking and control features in residential buildings can provide significant energy savings, improve indoor environmental management, and benefit building owners and users. This is particularly the case for large buildings,  but MS may decide to impose these systems in residential buildings.

The EU Commission also reminds to Member States (MS):

i. The “central role of the building envelope” (recital 8 & 20)
ii. “the EPBD requires MS  to ensure that the optimal energy performance of the building envelope is pursued in applying primary energy and weighted factors. Reducing the overall energy demand is a crucial component when optimising the energy performance of a building. In this context, the consideration of the envelope should not be underestimated (...)” (articles 4.1, 4.3.3, 6.3).

iii. The consideration of building envelope elements and their influence on the energy performance of buildings also depends on the calculation methodologies applied. For instance, the ‘energy balance’ approach, which takes into account both energy losses (related to heat loss) as well as energy gains (from passive capture of solar irradiance on buildings and building elements) when calculating the energy performance of a building or a building element of the building envelope, is an approach used in some Member States to take into account solar conditions (in relation to Annex I, point 4 of the EPBD).

 -> Dynamic solar shading on windows reduces  the solar energy gains  in summer and letting in the energy gains from passive capture  of solar irradiance in winter - see ES-SO position paper "Implementing the amended EPBD needs a proper assessment of windows"