Strategy for national definition of nearly zero energy buildings

Abstract

Due to very intensive energy rehabilitation and retrofitting process of buildings in the past decade, EU countries reduced energy spent in buildings from 50% to less than 40% of total energy production. At the same time, at the moment, buildings account for around 36% of CO2 emission. The recast Directive on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD 2010) stipulates that by 2020 all new buildings in European Union shell reach nearly zero- energy levels (nZEB). At the same time, public buildings should reach this goal till 2018. Introducing the new obligations for public buildings (from 2019 on) and other buildings (from 2021 on) to become nearly zero-energy buildings. This Directive does not give very precise definition of nZEB. According to this directive nZEB is:" building that has a very high energy performance... The nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should, to a very significant extent, be covered by energy from renewable sources, including renewable energy produced onsite or nearby". Accepting the differences in climate, building heritage, socio-technical levels of development, Directive does not prescribe the common methodology for implementation strategy and calculation methods, giving the opportunity to each country to define its own criteria and model. Serbia, as the candidate country, started the process of harmonization with EU regulations in the field of energy efficiency by introducing the Law on rational use of energy (2013) and in the field of buildings by introducing the Law on planning and construction (2009) and Regulations on energy performance of buildings and energy certification of buildings (2011) and in the future time has to prepare its own goals, definition of nZEB and strategies of accomplishing them. In the paper, principles for Serbian nZEB definition are elaborated taking into account national specifics: ����� existing building stock whose characteristics are elaborated in National building topology, ����� climate diversity, ����� economic potential, ����� renewable energy sources