Contrasting Definitions of High Energy Performance Buildings

Abstract

The rising interest in low energy building has led to an inflation in related terminology: (nearly) zero energy buildings, or (n)ZEBs, passive houses, positive energy buildings and districts, off-grid buildings, energy autarkic buildings, etc. Each of these terms involves (sometimes subtle) differences in interpretations, system boundaries, included energy end uses, etc. This paper maps the differences and overlaps in applications of various cases of residential High Energy Performance Buildings (HEPBs), aiming to contribute in the development of a novel taxonomy to evaluate the extent to which a building can be considered energy or carbon neutral. Three dimensions are suggested for specification in novel taxonomy for HEPBs: (i) the spatial dimension (energy use, locally renewable energy production and sometimes energy storage), (ii) the time dimension (during which period is the building and its systems balanced, e.g. yearly or momentary) and (iii) the end-use dimension (these are the end-uses that are included or excluded for the calculation of the total energy needs of the buildings).