A review of HVAC systems requirements in building energy regulations

Building energy regulations, also referred to as building energy codes, emerged in the 1970s as an essential tool for improving energy efficiency and minimising energy consumption in buildings. Basically they aim at setting minimum energy efficiency requirements to achieve energy efficient design in new buildings. This paper analyses the development of building energy codes concerning Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) energy efficiency, along with their scope and compliance paths. The paper focuses on the synthesis of energy efficiency requirements on HVAC systems of non-residential buildings in different regulations. Critical issues for the development of prescriptive and performance regulatory paths for this type of systems in non-residential buildings are discussed in order to improve the understanding of HVAC energy efficiency topics and to provide policy makers with a menu of options to strengthen the HVAC section of building energy codes.