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Part of the BRE Trust
Standards, Regulations and Policies:Energy and Buildings
Roger Hitchin
What is a standard? BSI says:
– “In essence, a standard is an agreed way of doing something.”
– “Standards are the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know the needs of the organizations they represent.”
– Policies may involve Regulations– Typically to cause people or organisations to do (or
desist from doing) something which may be in their direct interest but not that of society as a whole
– Regulations may call on Standards– To specify what must be done– Or how it should be done
Standards are not Regulations (or Policies)
An illustration: Policy Options for Air Conditioning Energy in Europe
- Air conditioning is only one element of building energy use
- Energy consumption is only one aspect of sustainability
- But the policy options illustrate some generic issues relating to standards
The European Air Conditioning Market
– Ownership of air conditioning is increasing– In new and existing buildings
• Chart shows installed GW cooling capacity
– Energy consumption is likely to increase further
Source: Roger Hitchin, Christine Pout, Philippe RiviereAssessing the market for air conditioning systems in European buildings
There is substantial potential for Energy Savings
– Existing studies have shown significant potential for savings through – Load reduction– Improved efficiency– Better operation
– Barriers to realising savings include– Low rates of building refurbishment– Long product and system lifetimes
Cooling Savings potential
24%
39%
37%
Fabric and equipment Plant O+M
Source: Knight I et al, HARMONAC project final report
The Market is rather Complex: – and so are the policy possibilities
– Three main categories of air conditioning– Moveable units; Packaged systems and products; Central systems; plus energy used for air movement
– 30 countries: EU- 27, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein – Different climates, energy regulations, a/c market history
– New-build and existing buildings– Many types of building
Source: BRE Report ‘Study to assess barriers and opportunities to improving energy efficiency in cooling appliances/systems’
Key policy options, potential saving up to 30% over a 10 year period
Source: BRE Report ‘Study to assess barriers and opportunities to improving energy efficiency in cooling appliances/systems
1. Demanding MEPS for Chillers and packaged cooling systems
– Policy prevents the use of low-efficiency products– Applies to series-produced products– But efficient products alone do not guarantee efficient systems
– Performance Regulation sets levels of requirements– Already implemented for some products via Energy-related Products
Directive• Applied across Europe irrespective of climate or use (single market issue)
1. Demanding MEPS for Chillers and packaged cooling systems
– Standards exist and are central to implementation– Define assessment methods
• Under standard operating conditions (including part-load)• Developed in conjunction with users
– Performance classes (energy labels) are defined in regulation, not standards
2. Performance requirements for air handling subsystems
– Policy. Imposes minimum efficiency requirements for parts of systems that are designed for particular buildings.– Ductwork leakage, specific fan power
– Regulations set performance requirements– Implemented at national level. (Has to be tested on-site)– Already in some national building energy codes or guidance
2. Performance requirements for air handling subsystems
– European Standards provide source material– Define assessment procedures– And performance classes (but in different standards)
– National implementations use some information from standards but do not generally cite them directly
3. Whole-system Performance Requirements
– Policy. Sets minimum performance standards for the whole system
– Regulations. Would set performance levels– Required by Recast EPBD– No Regulations so far
• Most savings could be achieved more easily through other instruments• Several difficult issues unresolved, including implementation route
3. Whole-system Performance Requirements
– Standards. None exist at present– Several difficult technical issues unresolved:
– Choice of metric– Agreed calculation method
– Policy looks difficult to implement and of doubtful extra impact• So role for standards is uncertain
4. Demanding Integrated Building plus System MEPS
- Policy. Minimum Performance Standards and Energy Labels for the building plus its fixed building services.- Includes savings from reductions of cooling load
- Regulation. European regulation via EPBD- Does not set specific requirement levels or procedures
- Subsidiarity applies- And national climates, policy priorities differ
- Therefore implemented through national regulations- Usually based on calculation, rather than measurement
4. Demanding Integrated Building plus System MEPS
– Standards. European standards exist– Used selectively by Member States as sources of information
for national regulations
– Substantial gap between requirements of users (MS regulators) and standards-writers. (Who are largely separate from each other)
• Standards mainly deal with complex calculation methods requiring using good data and high resource level
• Application is mainly to existing buildings where data are uncertain and time is limited
• Easy Quality Assurance is important in practice
5. Better operational practice
– Policy. Reduce energy wastage due to poor operation and management
– Regulation. European implementation through EPBD– But instruments are not very effective
• Mandatory system inspections• Feedback of measured annual consumption
– Savings can be made quickly but can disappear equally fast
5. Better operational practice
– Standards. European standards support existing instruments– Member States use them extensively (but selectively)
– Value of standards is weak because Regulatory instruments are largely ineffective
6. Reduction of outdoor air supply
– Policy. Avoid over-ventilating spaces where smoking is not now permitted
– Regulation. National design guidelines exist for new systems and buildings. – Unclear whether there are regulations for existing ones
6. Reduction of outdoor air supply
– Standards. European standards exist for system design– Generally reflected in national regulations and guidance
– Standards support guidance and regulation but these are patchy
Reflections
– Standards are crucial to regulations for series-produced products– Define mandatory procedures in support of Regulations
– At building- or system- level standards have a different role– Source material for national regulators to use selectively– Ideally this would be accompanied by guidance as to strengths and
weaknesses of options• But would they then be “standards”?
– This role is not recognised by most standard-makers
Reprise - What is a standard?
– “In essence, a standard is an agreed way of doing something.”
– “Standards are the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know the needs of the organizations they represent.”
– My Comment: Unlike series produced products, there are few people with the experience, time and motivation to write formal standards for buildings or systems. – However, there are voluntary “standards”, mainly for buildings