Energy Performance of Buildings

1 The reduction of energy demand in buildings is a key area of action in the European Union’s (EU) efforts concerning energy efficiency. This follows from the fact that buildings are responsible for about 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions and are accordingly the single largest energy consumer in Europe (see, eg, European Commission, In focus: Energy efficiency in buildings). Consequently, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector is necessary in order to limit global warming. 2 However, regulating the building sector...