A Parliamentary proposal calls for all new buildings to be 'zero energy' by 2019, i.e. to produce as much energy as they consume. The underlying idea is to introduce extreme insulation for buildings, and to provide the remaining energy demand through on-site renewables.

The proposal includes almost all buildings, including most residential dwellings. A few specific exceptions are foreseen (small homes < 50 sqm, religious buildings, historic buildings, ...).

In addition, existing buildings need to be upgraded in energy performance when undergoing major renovation, though in this case, zero energy is not required.

Finally, the proposal calls for the installation of smart meters.

Analysis

On-site small-scale energy production is often not very cost-effective at present. If we compare the costs of small PV systems to PV power stations, or of small wind turbines to wind farms, there are definite economies of scale. There is value to consumers to allow them to offset their energy use offsite through real projects. For example, community wind farms or community solar power plants would be suitable for this. Municipalities can play a role to provide the land.

Moreover, in urban settings, where the majority of European citizens live, the requirements may often not be practical. Heat pumps are difficult to install. Roof space is limited.

And zero-energy means net production in summer / net consumption in winter (or the reverse). This solution is limited to a fraction of buildings by its very nature. It is not clear whether or not it can be applied on a massive scale.

The primary energy demand associated with the typical use of a building, expressed in kWh/m2 per year, includes the energy needs for heating, hot water, cooling, ventilation, and built-in lighting! The energy certificate of a building should be based on this demand expressed in primary energy, including the performance of the fixed equipment and installations, and not only the building shell.

Conversions to the primary energy equivalent should be applied consistently, looking at the energy system of the future, and bearing in mind the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions first.

Links to the EuP Directive results (among others) and mandatory requirements should be put in place to avoid highly insulated homes being heated/cooled with highly inefficient equipment and vice-versa. This should be done in a non-exclusive way, to avoid cases like the one reported above on accumulation heating.

Conclusion

On consideration, we react cautiously to the European Parliament's initiative calling for zero energy buildings from 2019. Leonardo Energy agrees that buildings are the most cost-effective way to reduce energy use and CO2 emissions, but the Parliament proposal is addressing only a small percentage of buildings with a rather extreme solution.

However, it appears that an approach to allow offsite production to bring buildings from a low-energy to a zero-energy standard needs further consideration. A requirement to produce sufficient renewable energy on-site appears overly restrictive, and could inhibit the further development of the energy sector. It may result also in an overly complex and expensive energy system.

Schemes for community renewables merit more consideration in this programme.

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