Professional Services Related to Energy Performance of Buildings
Engineering and technical consultancy services that enable improved energy performance of buildings through audits, certification and design optimisation.
Substantial Contribution to Climate Change Mitigation
As an enabling activity, the professional services must directly enable substantial energy performance improvements in buildings. Qualifying services include energy audits conducted in accordance with EN 16247, Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessments under the EPBD, building energy simulation and modelling, HVAC system optimisation design, building envelope thermal analysis, and renewable energy integration studies.
The service provider must demonstrate that their work leads to measurable outcomes: building designs achieving at least 10% below NZEB thresholds, renovation recommendations delivering at least 30% primary energy demand reduction, or energy audit recommendations with verified implementation rates. Practitioners must hold relevant professional qualifications and certifications recognised under national transpositions of the EPBD.
The activity must not recommend solutions that lock in fossil fuel heating systems or delay the transition to decarbonised building energy systems.
Substantial Contribution to Climate Change Adaptation
Where services include climate resilience assessments for buildings, the analysis must use climate projections under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios and address overheating risk, flood exposure, and extreme weather impacts on building performance over the expected building lifetime.
DNSH: Climate Change Adaptation
The service provider must incorporate climate risk considerations into energy performance recommendations, ensuring that proposed measures do not increase vulnerability to physical climate hazards. Overheating risk must be assessed alongside energy efficiency measures, particularly for well-insulated buildings.