Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
conducted through the methodology as determined in the technical norm DIN V
18599 (or alternatively with the technical norms DIN V 4108-6 in combination
with DIN V 4701-10). The last amendment of the EnEV entered into force in
October 2009 and strengthened the requirements by an average of 30 % (Con-
certed Action Energy Performance of Buildings
2011
). In 2013 (perhaps early
2014), the EnEV will be amended (this was originally planned for 2012 (BMWi
2010a
) and will probably be tightened by approximately 12.5 % in January 2014
and further 12.5 % in January 2016 (see
Sect. 3.2.1
).
According to the Act on the Promotion of Renewable Energies in the Heat
Sector (EEWärmeG), it is additionally obligatory to use renewable energies for
covering a specific share of the heating demand (space heating and cooling as well
as domestic hot water generation) in new buildings. Alternatively, other measures
that significantly increase the energy efficiency of a building can also be applied.
Additionally, the EEWärmeG will probably be amended in 2013 and it is currently
discussed as to whether the requirement for the use of renewable energies will be
expanded to existing buildings.
A chronology of relevant building regulations can be found in Table
2
. The
information is based on (Schimschar et al.
2010
) and has been complemented with
new developments in recent years. The most relevant regulatory policies for the
energy-related refurbishment of buildings are furthermore described in the
following
Sects. 3.2.1
-
3.2.4
. It should be noted that more relevant policies exist
that provide the legal basis for the government in order to establish respective
ordinances, incentive programmes, etc. (e.g. the 'European Law Adaptation Act
for Renewable Energy' or the 'Ordinance on the Promotion of On-Site Advice for
Rational Energy Use in Residential Buildings'). However, here, the focus is on the
most important policies (Table
2
).
3.2.1 Energy Conservation Act (EnEG), 2009
Germany introduced the first law establishing requirements on the energy per-
formance of buildings in 1976. Due to the implementation of the 2002 EU
Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), the German EnEG was
amended in 2005 and in 2009 and will again be amended in 2013.
The main target of the law is to ensure that buildings just consume as much energy
as necessary and the wasting of energy should be avoided. For this purpose, the EnEG
states general requirements for the construction and refurbishment of buildings,
building elements, as well as heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and hot water
installations. The EnEG contains different permissions for the German government
for issuing necessary ordinances in order to transpose European directives, etc. Thus,
the EnEG is also the basis for the Energy Saving Ordinance—the EnEV.
Paragraph 5 of the EnEG is especially important as it clearly regulates that all
kinds of building requirements have to be technically feasible and cost-effective.
The author's translation of this paragraph is given below.
