Building Energy Analysis (BEA): A methodology to assess building energy labelling

The building sector, one of the fastest growing in terms of energy consumption, accounts for over 40% of final energy, a figure which is growing. Building energy legislation at EU level is found in EU Directive 93/73/CEE [Directive 93/73/EEC of the Council of 13 September 1993 on the Limitation of the Carbon Dioxide Emissions through the Improvement of Energy Efficiency (SAVE) 1993], EU directive 2002/91/CE called Energy Performance of Buildings Directive EPBD [Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on the Energy Performance of Buildings] and the EU Green Paper [Commission of the European Committees, Green Paper, Towards an European Strategy for the Security of Energy Supply, Brussels, 2000]. This give a clear view of the need and priority that the EU has for reducing energy consumption in the building sector, both for furthering in compliance of international agreements (Kyoto protocol and forthcoming commitments) as well as for reducing its energy dependency, and hence for leading its development towards sustainability.