Glossary of Building Rating Terms
Click a term to see its definition.
An asset rating which uses building-specific, customized input variables, or tailored values, to stimulate and assess energy performance under user-specific conditions. [Source: Institute for Market Transformation]
Building specific operations data for climate, occupancy, and other inputs used in the simulation of a building's energy performance for an asset rating. [Source: Immovalue]
Technical and project risks are failures in the project implementation, any consumer change, or technical breakthrough during the implementation phase of the project; [Source: IEA (2010) Money Matters]
Part of a technical building system that performs a specific function (e.g. heat generation, heat distribution, heat emission). [Source: International ISO Standard 13790- Energy performance of buildings — Calculation of energy use for space heating and cooling (2008).]
Technical equipment for the heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, lighting or for a combination thereof, of a building or building unit. [Source: EPBD recast, 2010/31/EU]
The technical consultants are in a broad sense the engineers and technicians commissioned to design technical parts of the building (structure, external works, services, planning/scheduling, etc.) as firms (offices, etc.) or as freelancers (consulting engineer, etc.). [Source: IEA Annex 31 Glossary]
A thermal bridge is a localised area of the building envelope where the heat flow is different (usually increased) in comparison with adjacent areas (if there is a difference in temperature between the inside and the outside). [Source: Passipedia, 2013]
A contractual arrangement involving a third party — in addition to the energy supplier and the beneficiary of the energy efficiency improvement measure — that provides the capital for that measure and charges the beneficiary a fee equivalent to a part of the energy savings achieved as a result of the energy efficiency improvement measure. That third party may or may not be an ESCO. [Source: ESD, 2006/32/EC]
Calculated primary energy consumption for heating and ventilation (DHW not included), using the national calculation standard, corresponding to maximum 3 litres of oil per m2 (~ 34 kWh/m2yr primary energy consumption). (EU Definition) [Source: Concerted Action]
Models applying macroeconomic theory, econometric and optimization techniques to aggregate economic variables. Using historical data on consumption, prices, incomes, and factor costs, top-down models assess final demand for goods and services and supply from main sectors, such as the energy sector, transportation, agriculture and industry. Some top-down models incorporate technology data, narrowing the gap to bottom up models. [Source: IPCC - Annex I Glossary]
Amount of fuel that is required to operate a building and incorporates energy consumed by the production of electricity as well as losses due to transmission and delivery [Source: IEA]
Total useful floor area means the floor area of a building or part of a building, where energy is used to condition the indoor climate. [Source: EU Directive 2012/27/EU on Energy Efficiency]
The town planners are the designers of the layout of the urban areas. [Source: IEA Annex 31 Glossary]
Values are set for each part of the building, but a trade-off can be made so some values are better and some are worse than the requirements. [Source: Laustsen (2009) Energy Efficiency Requirements in Building Codes, Energy Efficiency Policies for New Buildings]
Heat flow rate due to thermal transmission through the fabric of a building, divided by the difference between the environment temperatures on either side of the construction. [Source: International ISO Standard 13790- Energy performance of buildings — Calculation of energy use for space heating and cooling (2008).]
The annual balance of calculated primary energy consumption is 0. Use of recycled material only (closed material loop). The annual balance of emissions (from energy consumption) is 0. (EU Definition) [Source: Concerted Action]