X-tendo responds to the EPC harmonisation challenge by exploring indicators for its innovative features – first developments are presented in a new report

03/07/2020

European Member States have different legislation in place and systems to run Energy performance certificate (EPC) schemes. X-tendo proposes conceptual approaches for features combining new ideas with existing methods to work towards developing innovative indicators that could be tested and integrated into the EPC schemes of the implementing countries.

These schemes need to evolve with the changing needs of the built environment and look beyond the energy consumption of buildings to take in elements such as better indoor comfort, air pollution and others. Public authorities view them as potential instruments to improve the performance of the existing and new building stock, but extending the functionalities of existing systems will mean much more pathways.

This new report presents the preliminary scoping and analysis of the five technical X-tendo features related to developing innovative EPC indicators: smart readiness, comfort, outdoor air pollution, real energy consumption, and district energy. This report presents an overview of existing assessment approaches and methodologies for each feature and the most suitable existing methods that can be applied when integrated with EPCs.

The report also evaluates existing links between these methods and the energy performance of a building/EPCs to determine how these can be integrated in the feature development. The report concludes with a proposed conceptual approach for the development of each of the five features. Some of the findings are below:

• ‘Smart readiness’ presents a potential method for assessing the smartness of buildings with nine domains (e.g. lighting, ventilation, envelope, monitoring and control etc.)
• ‘Comfort’ incorporates four key indicators – thermal, visual and acoustic comfort and indoor air quality – to be assessed through checklists, on-site measurements and surveys
• ‘Outdoor air pollution’ addresses a building’s impact on air by two methods: an outdoor air pollution contribution index and indoor air purity index
• ‘Real energy consumption’ outlines an assessment method based on operational ratings, with options for normalisation to allow for better inter-building comparison
• ‘District energy’ focuses on predicting the potential for future development for buildings via two methods: expected future performance of district heating and heat distribution and transfer system

Other findings on cross-cutting issues are presented directly in the report.

Read the full report