In the EU, 40% of energy is consumed in buildings. To improve the energy efficiency of buildings, in 2002 the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) required all EU countries to upgrade their building regulations and to introduce energy certification schemes for buildings. As with all EC directives, the EPBD required national implementations by member states. In 2010 the EPBD was recast.
Directive 2010/31/EU (EPBD recast) Article 9 requires that “Member States shall ensure that by 31 December 2020 all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings; and after 31 December 2018, new buildings occupied and owned by public authorities are nearly zero-energy buildings”. Member States shall furthermore “draw up national plans for increasing the number of nearly zero-energy buildings” and “following the leading example of the public sector, develop policies and take measures such as the setting of targets in order to stimulate the transformation of buildings that are refurbished into nearly zero-energy buildings”.
A net zero energy building is a building that on average generates as much energy from renewable energy sources as it consumes. You can find videos and research material here on what net zero energy means and how you design a net zero energy building.
Pike Research has projected that as a result of the recast EPBD Directive and similar legislation in other parts of the world, such as Japan, worldwide revenue from net zero energy building construction will grow at an annual rate of 43% over the next two decades, reaching $690 billion by 2020 and $1.3 trillion by 2035, with much of the growth occurring in the EU.
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