Legislation to foment the use of renewable energies and solar thermal energy in building construction: The case of Spain - Solar Energy Sciences and Engineering Applications - page 644

September 1993 to limit carbon dioxide emissions by improving energy efficiency
includes a series of considerations on the energy performance of buildings which
have been further specified and developed in subsequent directives. The main envi-
ronmental objective of this directive is the rational use of natural energy resources.
Given the fact that buildings are responsible for 40% of the total energy consump-
tion in the EU, this directive established a set of programmes in the EU to achieve the
following:

• Efficient thermal insulation in buildings;

Energy certification of buildings in all member states 2 ; •

• Regular inspection of heating installations of an effective rated output of more

than 15 kW 3 .

In addition, particular reference is made to public buildings that should be examples
of good energy performance for others to follow.
In this sense, Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 16 December 2002 on the energy performance of buildings aims to improve the
energy performance in buildings. Accordingly, it describes the measures that should to
be taken in the building construction sector to attain this goal. More specifically, this
directive states:

The energy performance of buildings should be calculated on the basis of a method-
ology, which may be differentiated at regional level, that includes, in addition to
thermal insulation other factors that play an increasingly important role such as
heating and air-conditioning installations, application of renewable energy sources
and design of the building.

The EU has elaborated measures to support the requirements in Directive 2002/91/EC .
The purpose is to harmonize at the European level methods to enhance the energy per-
formance of buildings. European Standard EN 15603:2008 is one of these measures.
According to Directive 2002/91/EC , for the project design of new buildings with a
total useful floor area exceeding 1000 m 2 , member states should ensure the technical,
environmental and economic feasibility of alternative systems, such as the follow-
ing: (i) decentralized energy supply systems based on renewable energy: (ii) CHP 4 ;
(iii) district or block heating or cooling; (iv) heat pumps, under certain conditions. Fur-
thermore, when buildings are constructed, sold or rented out, an energy performance
certificate should be made available to the owner or by the owner to the prospective
buyer or tenant. The validity of the certificate should not exceed 10 years.
Another example of EU legislation is Directive 2006/32/EC on energy end-use effi-
ciency and energy services , which repeals Council Directive 93/76/EEC . It emphasizes

2 Directive 93/76/EC . Article 2. “Energy certification of buildings, which shall consist of
a description of their energy characteristics, must provide information for prospective uses
concerning a building's energy efficiency''.
3 Directive 93/76/EC . Article 6.
4 Directive 2002/91/EC . Article 2. Definitions: “CHP (combined heat and power): the simul-
taneous conversion of primary fuels into mechanical or electrical and thermal energy, meeting
certain quality criteria of energy efficiency''.