Energy regulations for housing and the performance gap

The goals of energy saving and CO2 reductions to create an energy neutral building stock seem only to be reached by strict and supportive governmental policies. In Europe the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive are driving forces for Member States to develop and strengthen energy performance regulations both for new buildings (via building approval procedures) and the existing building stock (via energy performance certificates or labels). The effectiveness of these current governance instruments and their impact on actual CO2 reductions are found to be inadequate for ensuring actual energy performance is achieved. To realize the very ambitious energy saving goals a radical rethink of regulatory systems and instruments is necessary. Building performance and the behaviour of the occupants is not well understood by the policymakers. Alternative forms of governance are needed which have more impact on the actual outcomes. Supportive governance to stimulate near zero renovations in combination with performance guarantees is a promising approach. Furthermore engagement with occupant practices and behaviours is needed. To ensure accurate outcomesbased governance a better understanding of building performance and behaviours of occupants must be incorporated.