Principles for nearly zero energy building in Belgium

The recast of the European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires all new buildings to be “nearly zero energy’ buildings (nZEB) by 2020, including existing buildings undergoing major renovations. Belgium was first to set a definition for a ‘net zero energy house’ (NZEB) in 2009. Every year the definition is revised for consistency with shortcomings and emerging issues. However, to reach the nZEB objective many questions are raised in the Belgian context. Many uncertainties exist among local governments and municipalities to achieve that objective. Therefore, the paper presents a review on the current Belgian definition and its market status in comparison with the international context. The paper builds on existing experience with the implementation of the EPB calculation method and the Passive House initiative. The aim of the paper is to review current definition discussions and pave the way to a more consistent definition. Finally, four principles are suggested to reach the nZEB objectives in Belgium.