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

efficient air conditioning system, for example, if the total designed energy use fallswithin the required norms. There are several approaches to establishing the baseline forcomparison under the building energy performance method. The United States uses costas its reference metric, while some other countries base the reference metric on energyconsumption.South Korea and Japan take a different approach, establishing both mandatoryrequirements and a point system for a whole range of energy issues related to buildings.Each new building must have a minimum number of points either in total or by category.Buildings that exceed the minimum point requirement may be eligible for certain benefits,such as relaxation of some zoning rules.Enforcement SystemsEnforcement is critical for the standard to have an effect. Not all countries havemandatory building energy standards. India, for example, has a voluntary code. Japan’sstandards are also technically voluntary, although Japan has recently adopted penaltiesfor non-compliance that blur this distinction. The United States, Canada and Australia alladopt building standards at the local level. Not all jurisdictions in the United States andCanada have adopted their nation’s model building energy codes. China has mandatorynational codes, but provinces have the option to adopt more stringent local codes.Some important issues regarding enforcement and the related impact of the code onenergy use include: the point of compliance (design and/or construction stage), howbuildings are reviewed or inspected and by whom, penalties and other incentives forcompliance, training and information on the code, compliance tools such as codecompliance software and inspection checklists, and equipment and material testing andratings.In the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea, for example, the buildingdesign must be approved, and inspectors check the building for compliance at least onceduring construction. In Japan, the reviews only occur at the building design stage. Chinauses a combination of government employees and certified companies to check buildingdesigns and inspect the buildings for compliance. There is no single answer as to whichsystem produces the highest level of compliance. For example, Japanese officials believethat Japan attains a high level of compliance in actual construction because Japan has avery well developed system of training and information dissemination on the buildingenergy standards. Anecdotal evidence in the United States and other countries indicatesthat inspections do play an important role in attaining high levels of compliance. The U.S.Department of Energy is now developing methodologies to measure and trackcompliance.The stringency of the national system for testing materials and equipment for their energyefficiency properties can also have a marked impact on the final energy consumption of abuilding. Most countries have a system of certified laboratories that test materials andequipment (like windows and air conditioners) and rate them for efficiency. These ratings6