The “Regulation on Amending the Regulation on Energy Performance in Buildings” prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change was published in the Official Gazette in the past few days.
With the change, the transition to the “Near Zero Energy Buildings (NSEB)” concept, which is more energy efficient than normal buildings and provides a certain part of the energy it uses from renewable energy sources, will be made mandatory gradually.
Accordingly, as of January 1, 2023, all buildings with a total construction area of more than 5 thousand square meters in a parcel will be constructed with an energy performance class of at least ‘B’. In addition, at least 5 percent of the energy used by these buildings will have to be met from renewable energy sources such as solar energy panels, wind energy and heat pumps.
By increasing the minimum energy performance of these buildings from “C” to “B”, the thickness of the insulation materials used in thermal insulation will be increased by at least 2 centimeters. In this context, minimum thermal insulation material thicknesses will increase from 5 centimeters to 7-8 centimeters in Istanbul, and from 6 centimeters to 8-9 centimeters in Ankara. In addition, the thermal insulation values of the windows will also be improved
As of January 1, 2023, licenses will not be issued for buildings whose projects are not prepared accordingly.
With this important step, Turkey will increase its targets for renewable energy technologies in buildings;
Secretary General of the Zero Energy and Passive House Association (SEPEV) Master Architect Yasemin Somuncu said that Turkey, like some European Union members, tied the issue to ECU classes and introduced percentages for the use of renewable energy in buildings of certain sizes, spread over time. Currently, the definition of nSEB is determined by concepts such as the maximum U-value, primary energy consumption, and carbon class in very few countries in the European Union. I think the Amendment on the Regulation on Energy Performance in Buildings dated February 19, 2022 is a very important step for Turkey, and I hope that different concepts and targets will be included in the definition of nSEB in the near future and the targets for the use of renewable energy technologies in buildings will be increased. I also hope that the use of renewable energy technologies will be increased in the busiest urban centers by introducing the Renewable Primary Energy Factor, as in the Passive House Standards.