Shaping the future of Building Energy Performance standards

REHVA recently held a workshop, Shaping the Future of Building Energy Performance Standards in Berlin, Germany, on September 14, 2026.

The workshop was part of two key International Standardization Organization (ISO) meetings dealing with the Energy Performance in Buildings ISO Technical Committees.

ISO/TC 163 Thermal performance and energy use in the built environment is focusing on building materials, components, systems and products for both new and existing buildings and civil engineering, and ISO/TC205 Building environment design is focusing on design for both new buildings and retrofits for acceptable indoor environment, and practicable energy conservation and efficiency, strongly related to HVAC.

“Through ISO/TC 163 and ISO/TC 205, the global community is setting the methods that drive better building performance, lower energy demand, and measurable environmental benefits,” says REHVA.

The Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) standard helps determine the international definitions of “high performance” and “low carbon” in the built environment. REHVA says the workshop program reflected a broader thread in the association’s work: building a common language for European building-performance standards.

In fact, a key purpose of the ISO/TC205 Working Group is to help architects and designers of HVAC systems develop a standard methodology that can be used to help achieve reduced energy demand in buildings.

Creating a “common language” for energy performance is critical to the HVAC&R sector, because many countries use standards for policy development and regulatory support.

REHVA Vice-President Johann Zirngibl says the growing pressure around energy security and affordability is creating new challenges for the built environment – making that common language, and the KPIs built on it, more necessary.

Feature image courtesy of wal_172619 from Pixabay.

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