EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Ready to face the future with ISO-Chemie products!

New EU directive for new builds from 2021

Under the name “Directive 2010/31/EU”, which was passed by the EU Parliament on 19 May 2019, the EPBD sharpens up the requirements concerning the construction of new buildings. This is because 40 percent of the total energy consumed by industrial countries is used for heating or cooling buildings. The European Union’s updated Directive is intended to remedy this situation and lay the foundations for a sustainable improvement in the energy efficiency of buildings.

The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which is mandatory for all EU member states, requires all new buildings to conform to the standard of a “nearly zero-energy house” by 2021. This has already applied to the construction of public buildings since 1 January 2019. There will also be a corresponding implementation for older buildings for which major renovation work is planned.

What is a "nearly zero-energy house"?

The term "nearly zero-energy house" is not precisely defined by the EU. The original text states: [...] The nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby. [...]

These nearly zero-energy buildings with almost zero-energy requirements will thus be the new standard for buildings in the European Union from 2021.

However, the EU is intentionally leaving leeway for design creativity since the Scandinavian countries, for example, have different requirements concerning the definition of a nearly zero-energy standard, with the focus on thermal insulation, compared to more southerly member states where the emphasis is more on air-conditioning systems.

In Germany, the basis for the definition of a “nearly zero-energy house” is at least the current KfW class 55 energy-efficient house standard. According to this, the annual primary energy requirement must not exceed 40 kilowatt hours per year per square metre. In other European countries, this value may be considerably lower; in Austria, for example, the maximum is 25 kilowatt hours per year and square metre.

EPBD-compliant product solutions

As a manufacturer of energy-efficient and sustainable sealing solutions we feel we have an obligation to continually improve the environmental impact of our products. For this reason, many of our products are already geared up to meet future requirements and, in addition to the EnEV standards, also conform to the requirements of new EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Our ISO-BLOCO HYBRATEC and ISO-BLOCO ONE multi-functional sealing tapes ensure absolute air tightness (a-value of 0.00 m³/[h·m·(daPa)ⁿ]), entirely eliminating the issue of uncontrolled convection heat losses or draughts through window connection joints.

The thermal insulation materials used in our in-front-of-wall installation systems, plus their optimised installation in the building’s outer thermal insulation level, guarantee an optimum isothermal profile. This reduces structural thermal bridges and ensures a warmer surface for internal walls. Installation in front of the house wall ensures solar gains, thus further improving the energy balance.

Find out more about the benefits of our sustainable and EPBD-compliant sealing solutions and in-front-of-wall installation systems:

• Multi-functional joint sealing tape ISO-BLOCO HYBRATEC
• Multi-functional joint sealing tape ISO-BLOCO ONE
• Window connection foil ISO-CONNECT VARIO SD
• In-front-of-wall installation systems ISO-TOP WINFRAMER