The Asia-Pacific region has experienced significant growth in its green building market. APEC members have supported a number of related activities over recent years to advance building rating systems, promote life-cycle analysis for products and materials, and document policies regulating building design and construction. The common goal of these efforts is to work toward a sustainable built environment supported by the free flow of trade in products and technologies.

This document is an example of Recommendations for EU states that gives guidance on how to proceed with zero-energy buildings.  It is likely the recommendations apply elsewhere.  The document answers questions like "How do renewable energy sources contribute?".  Other information includes

In February 2015 the principle of ‘Efficiency First’  (E1st) was formally endorsed by the European Commission within the framework of the Energy Union.

This paper outlines and critically ‘maps’ existing roadmaps relevant to transitions to a low or zero carbon built environment in Australia. A roadmap describes the measures required to achieve goals and/or map future innovation opportunities. The three questions addressed by a comprehensive roadmap are: Where do we want to go?, Where are we now?, and How can we get there? The review identified 13 roadmaps/plans that have been produced by: peak industry bodies (Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heating); academic research groups (e.g.

Without strong and ambitious policy support, the energy efficiency potential of cities is likely to remain largely untapped. Often cities have the opportunity to implement policies and programmes in the building sector that are complementary, more stringent or reflect greater ambition than national activities. 

This is the third in a series of papers intended to guide states as they embark on the path to Clean Power Plan (CPP) compliance. As one of many approaches to reducing pollution and complying with the CPP, states and localities can offer energy efficiency programs to low-income households or businesses and community-based organizations that serve low-income communities. This guide discusses some best practices for implementing and evaluating low-income energy efficiency programs and addresses considerations in using them for CPP compliance.

This document contains the highlights from the high-level roundtable organised in the framework of the RenoValue project. The event took place at the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium, on 26 January 2016, providing the opportunity to discuss how policy makers can strengthen the role of property valuers as drivers of the market transition towards sustainable buildings.

For building owners, the renovation process can be a hassle, shaped by the ambiguity of the measures to implement. Uncertainty is one of the reasons why the renovation rate continues to linger around 1% and private investments remain limited. Achieving the full market potential of renovation calls for a paradigm shift, where a more service-oriented supply-side together with a deeper awareness on the demand-side play key roles. The BetterHome case study shows how innovative business models can drive energy renovations across Europe.

This report is an update from a similar document published in 2013. In 2018, evidence gathered by the International Energy Agency has identified six critical factors to guide policy makers in realising potential savings in both new and existing buildings through the modernisation of building energy codes.

This guidebook aims to be a practical resource for governments (ministries of energy, environment, housing, climate change, finance, planning and others), private sector investors and civil society organizations by illustrating how to create a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) for energy efficient buildings based on a country-led national strategy, possibly articulated as a Nationally Determined Contribution.

This toolkit is designed as a first step in helping countries, cities and experts in developing, adopting and implementing their codes. In its present form, this toolkit is set out as a useful reference, but also as a means of assessing the potential of such information to help governments and other stakeholders. The toolkit covers five main topics: guidance for cities and jurisdictions that are just getting started, and tools that can provide inspiration and knowledge regarding code development, adoption, implementation and evaluation.

The current shift from fossil energy resources to “green” energy — renewable energy plus storage in smart grids, many with electric vehicles providing grid services — is now a global phenomenon (International Energy Agency 2016; International Renewable Energy Agency [IRENA] 2017b).

Buildings are central to meeting the sustainability challenge. In the developed world, buildings consume over 70% of the electrical power generated and 40% of primary energy, and are responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions from combustion. While developing countries will need to accommodate 2.4 billion new urban residents by 2050, in Europe 75-90% of buildings standing today are expected to remain in use in 2050. Renewable energy technology alone cannot meet those requirements, despite recent improvements.

The EU building sector needs to develop and deploy more innovative solutions in order to enhance the building stock’s energy efficiency and help meet energy and climate policy targets. The European Union is therefore supporting projects that address design and construction processes as well as new technologies, with funding from the Horizon 2020 programme. The results developed by these projects address key challenges at each stage of the value chain for new nearly zero-energy buildings, deep renovation of existing buildings, and energy-smart buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®) green building certification has transformed how the building industry
and the public consider sustainability in the built environment. The most recent update to LEED, known as LEED v4, is the new standard for high-performance

More and more large energy users across Australia are exploring distributed energy solutions to reduce costs, lower their exposure to volatile energy markets and drive down carbon emissions. With opportunities such as generating electricity on site using solar PV and load management through the use of batteries, corporates can take a far more active and strategic role in energy management.

The Central Melbourne design guide has been prepared by the City of Melbourne to support the use and interpretation of the Urban Design in the Central City and Southbank Design and Development Overlay Schedule 1 (DDO1) within the Melbourne Planning Scheme. The guide is intended to raise the bar on the design quality of development outcomes in the Central City and Southbank.

Analysis of energy renovation costs, as provided by the French Observatory for Low Energy Buildings, identified the following:

Residential and commercial buildings accounted for over 2,000 Million Metric Tons (MMT) of carbon equivalent emissions and 40% of the total energy consumed in the United States in 2016. New construction and major renovations in buildings have a long-term impact on emissions as many of the features incorporated at time of construction will impact energy consumption for decades.

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and the former Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) developed this Handbook to assist users with the application and understanding of the National Construction Code (NCC) Volume One energy efficiency provisions.