You’re going to need to be careful with the energy efficiency rating you choose when you get a building, because it could be misleading. When looking at the Energy efficiency rating on a building, remember that they take into account what percentage of your personal impact on the environment. If you care about how much electricity is used or how many people are in the building, then go for an Energy pyramid rainforest efficiency rating but if not then outright ignore it.
It’s hard to say whether or not this has been done before; however as an energy science blog where we talk about climate change and energy more than anything else I think this post is worth publishing for those who have not seen it anywhere else.
1. What the Energy efficient building rating is
The energy efficiency rating is a measurement of how energy efficient the buildings are that are available on the market and can be compared with similar buildings. It has been developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in an attempt to provide more quality information on energy efficiency in buildings, so that consumers can choose a high-performance building according to their financial and environmental requirements.
2. The energy star rating
The Energy efficient building rating is designed to provide consumers with more quality information about the energy performance of buildings. It also requires from the builder a commitment to maintain the high-performance level over the entire life of the building, which is why it’s usually done on brand new buildings only. The Energy star rating has no such requirement, meaning you can get an Efficient or unrated home or office that is not nearly as good as an Energy star rated one, and an Energy Star rated home can be far less efficient than a European Energy efficient building rating rated one. If you’re going to buy or rent a new home, then first check out which are being built around you and look at their Energy efficiency ratings.
3. Where to find information on the energy efficiency rating
The JRC provides extensive information about the energy performance and efficiency of buildings as well as advice on how to improve them and how to choose a high-performance building, in particular a high-performance new building, that meets consumers’ requirements in terms of finance and environmental impact. It should be noted here that the Energy efficient building rating is not the same thing as an energy star rating, which is a separate measurement – it’s in no way law that the USA follows European models, even though they often do for certain things such as recycling and Energy efficient building ratings.
4. Why is an energy efficient building rating important?
Currently, all the information on the energy efficiency of buildings is provided by independent companies that have to comply with specific criteria and they are not always easy to find. Indeed, there are many different types of rating, which can be confusing for consumers, who therefore opt for the lowest possible rating and pay more in the long term.
5. What are examples of ratings?
There are two main types of rating: Energy performance (EP) and Energy efficient (EE). The first takes into account only the electricity use in the building and not its total energy consumption; whereas the second takes into account both electricity and total consumption.
6. What is an Energy efficient building rating and how does it work?
The Energy efficient building rating aims to provide information on the energy performance of new buildings in order to facilitate their choice for consumers with regard to their environmental impact, 1) financial constraints, 2) choices in regards to quality, 3) financial security and 4) the choice of a high quality building.
7. How does a building energy efficient rating work?
In order to achieve its goals, the European Commission has developed two different ratings. The first is an energy performance rating (EP) that is based on two parameters: 1) the energy use in the building and 2) the CO2 emissions. The EP rating of buildings (EE):
1) It takes into account only what goes into the building, in other words: electricity, natural gas, heat and water use. Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Natural gas and heat in the form of thermal output are measured in cubic meters (m3). Water use is measured in liters (l) per day. The CO2 emissions are based on the primary energy that is used and it takes into account everything that produces CO2 emissions and not just the CO2 produced by electricity use. This means that it takes into account what percentage of your personal contribution to climate change is coming from carbon emissions through electricity you use.
8. What are the benefits of an Energy efficient building rating?
This rating offers new information to consumers, who currently find it difficult to compare buildings due to a lack of transparency in the way energy efficiency is measured and communicated to them. The Energy efficient building rating also allows consumers to choose a high-performance building according to their requirements.
