Shaping the Energy Efficiency in New Buildings - Building Energy ...

Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (MNECB) and the Model National Energy Code ofCanada for Houses (MNECH) provide less stringent energy performance requirementswith less comprehensive differentiation in types of air conditioning equipment comparedto the United States standard, ASHRAE 90.1-2007. Air conditioning is increasinglypopular throughout Asia, but in some countries, people are more willing to accept agreater range of indoor temperatures (hence reducing the energy bill for heating and airconditioning).Some additional issues Building orientation is not regulated in the United States andCanadian building energy codes, but it is regulated in Australia, China, India, Japan andSouth Korea. China, South Korea and Japan recommend that the orientation of a housingunit should face south, for example.Building energy codes do not contain provisions regarding housing size, though housingsize is an important indicator of energy consumption. Average housing size varies amongthe APP countries.1.8 Climate ZonesSome provisions of building energy codes, especially the thermal characteristics of thebuilding envelope, are grouped by climate zones or geographic locations. For example,a) The Building Code of Australia (BCA 2007) divides Australia into eight climatezones: 1) high-humidity summer, warm winter; 2) warm humid summer, mildwinter; 3) hot dry summer, warm winter; 4) hot dry summer, cool winter; 5) warmtemperate; 6) mild temperate; 7) cool temperate; and 8) "alpine" area.b) Canada’s MNECB 1997 and MNECH 1997 provide thermal characteristics of thebuilding envelope by its ten provinces and two territories. 17c) China identifies five climate zones in its building energy codes for commercialbuildings: 1) severe cold area A, 2) severe cold area B, 3) cold, 4) hot summerand cold winter (HSCW), and 5) hot summer and warm winter (HSWW). China’sthree residential building energy codes focus on three climate zones: 1) heatingzones (a combination of severe cold area A and B, and cold); 2) HSCW; and 3)HSWW, respectively.d) The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC 2007) divides India into fiveclimate zones: 1) composite, 2) hot and dry, 3) warm and humid, 4) moderate and5) cold.e) In Japan, building energy codes for commercial buildings are differentiatebetween an ordinary zone (covering most of Japan), a cold zone (covering the farnorth), and a tropical zone. Building energy codes for residential buildingsprovide requirements for six zones. These zones are based on heating degree days,so for example zone IV covers areas with an average of 1,500 to 2,500 heatingdegree days per year. This zone covers Tokyo and much of the central-southernpart of Japan.17 Neither building energy code covers Nunavut, a territory that joined Canada in 1999.21