Spain - Overview information
This information of Spain includes the general state of the adoption of the Directive 2002/91/EC till now. It includes overview information for each article of the buildings’ Directive 2002/91/EC. A short introduction for Technical Building Code (CTE: Codigo Technico de la Edificion) in the basic document “HE” is presented.
Table of Contents
· The implementation of Directive 2002/91/EC in Spain is included in the Technical Building Code (CTE: Código Técnico de la Edificación) in the Basic Document HE. The appropriate use of HE guarantees compliance with the basic requirements. These documents contain procedures, technical rules and examples of solutions for determining whether a building complies with the stipulated performance levels.
· The Basic Document HE that concerns Energy Saving and consists of the following topics:
o HE1: Energy demand limitation
o HE2: Efficiency of thermal installations
o HE3: Energy efficiency of lighting installations
o HE4: Minimum solar contribution to domestic hot water
o HE5: Minimum photovoltaic contribution to electric power
· HE1: Energy demand Limitation
o Buildings shall feature a set of characteristics capable of adequately limiting the energy demand necessary to ensure human thermal comfort in accordance with the local climate, the use of the building, and the summer and winter regime as well as their characteristics of insulation and inertia, air permeability and exposure to solar radiation, reducing the risk of superficial and interstitial humidity that may affect their characteristics, with appropriate treatment of the thermal points to limit heat losses or gains and to avoid any hydrothermal problems therein.
· HE2: Efficiency of thermal installations
o Buildings shall feature appropriate thermal installations to ensure human thermal comfort by regulating the efficiency of said installations and their equipment. This requirement is currently being developed in the prevailing Regulation of Thermal Installations and Buildings (RTIB, known by the Spanish acronym ‘RITE’) and its application shall be defined in the plan of the building.
· HE3: Energy efficiency of lighting installations
o Buildings shall feature adequate lighting installations for the needs of their users; installations shall also be energy efficient, with a control system to adjust the light to the actual occupancy of the area, as well as a regulation system to optimize the supply of natural light in areas that meet certain conditions.
· HE4: Minimum solar contribution to domestic hot water
o In buildings with foreseen demand for hot water or the conditioning of a covered swimming pool, in which, as established in this TBC, part of the thermal energy needs derived from said demand shall be covered by incorporating systems for the collection, storage and use of low temperature solar energy suitable for the global solar radiation of their location and the hot water demand of the building. The values derived from this basic requirement shall be considered minimum values, without prejudice to stricter values that may be established by the competent authorities which contribute to sustainability, in compliance with the specific characteristics of their location and territorial limits.
· HE5: Minimum photovoltaic contribution to electric power
o In buildings thus defined in this TBC shall be incorporated systems for the collection and transformation of solar energy into electric power by photovoltaic processes for proprietary use or supply to the network. The values derived from this basic requirement shall be considered minimum values without prejudice to stricter values that may be established by the competent authorities which contribute to sustainability, in compliance with the specific characteristics of their location and territorial limits.
Article 3: Adoption of a methodology
· Energy Performance Building Regulation (EPBR) is already implemented in Spain since Mars 2006
· EPBR is a national regulation that does not use CEN standards
· EPBR concerns both new and existing buildings and requires the use of the same procedure for both cases
· The assessment method is based on the asset rating approach
· The energy efficiency indicators include primary energy and CO2 emissions
I. Building Types Covered
· EPBR in Spain concerns the following types of buildings:
o New buildings
o Major renovations of existing buildings above of existing buildings with useful area over 1000 m2 where more than 25 % of the building shell undergoes renovation.
· The following type of buildings are excluded:
o Those buildings that due to their use should remain open
o Buildings and monuments officially protected as part of a designated environment or because of their special architectural or historic merit, where compliance with the requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance
o Buildings used as places of worship and for religious activities
o Temporary buildings with a planned time of use of two years or less
o Industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings
o Stand-alone buildings with a total useful floor area of less than 50 m2
II. Asset Rating
· The energy demand of the building is determined as function of the local climate where the building is located, according to the climatic zoning and the internal load of the indoor spaces
· The energy demand of the building should be lower to a reference building in which the characteristic parameters of the envelope and the interior spaces have specific values that fully described in the EPBR, according to the climatic zone where the building is located
Article 5: New buildings
· EPBR in Spain concerns both residential and non-residential buildings
· The compliance check with the regulation is performed before (during the project stage) and during/after the end of works (inspection level)
I. Requirements
· Energy consumption
· U-values according to climatic zone where the building is located
· EPBR requires a minimum contribution of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems based on the type and size of the building
II. Renewable Energy Sources
· EPBR requires the use of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems
· The minimum solar contribution to domestic hot water applies to newly constructed or renovated buildings, irrespective of their use, in which there is a demand for domestic hot water and/or the conditioning of a covered swimming pool
· The minimum solar contribution determined by virtue of the basic requirement could be justifiably diminished in the following cases:
o When this energy contribution to domestic hot water is covered by the use of renewable sources of energy, co-generation processes, or residual sources of energy from the installation of heat recovery units which are external to the buildings’ own heat generation
o When the attainment of this production level entails exceeding the calculation criteria stipulated by the applicable basic legislation
o When the location of the building does not afford sufficient exposure to the sun, owing to external barriers
o In newly constructed buildings, when there are irremediable limitations derived from the applicable town planning legislation, which clearly make it impossible to obtain the necessary collection surface
o When so stipulated by the competent body that has to give an opinion on historical and artistic protection
· Buildings that accomplishes with the following table will incorporate PV systems
· Exceptions: Minimum electric power can be reduced if …
o Other RES contribute to that minimum electric power
o If architectonical barriers cannot be avoided
o If local urban regulation are against those measures
· As far as concerns PV systems the sequence of verification is accomplished in the following steps:
o Calculation of the PV power to be installed depending on the climatic area
o Verification if losses are greater than established limits
o Accomplish with design conditions
o Accomplish with maintenance conditions
Article 7: Energy performance certificate
· The certificate approach of the EPBR is implemented in national level and covers all type of buildings (excluding the exceptions described previously)
· The certificate is produced before the construction (project level phase) and during/after the end of construction (inspection level phase)
· The compliance check includes the total performance of the building, the efficiencies of the components (e.g. U-values) and the use of renewable energy sources
Article 8: Inspection of boilers
· The inspection of boilers is based on the assessment of efficiency under real time conditions
· The inspection frequency take place every 2, 4 and 5 years depending on the fuel used and the capacity of the boiler
· Inspection of the whole facility installations is performed every 15 years
· The cost of the inspection is covered by the final users
Article 9: Inspection of air-conditioning systems
· The inspection of air conditioning systems is based on the assessment of efficiency under real time conditions
· The inspection frequency take place every 1 and 2 years depending mainly on the system capacity
· Inspection of the whole facility installations is performed every 6 years
· The cost of the inspection is covered by the final users
Article 10: Independent experts
· As far as concerns the qualification of the experts and inspectors the requirements depend on the local authorities
· Mainly engineers and architects are involved in the certification and inspection processes