New Buildings Will Be Constructed According to the nZEB Concept

New Buildings to be Constructed with nZEB Concept With the regulation introduced by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, as of 1 January 2023, all buildings with a total construction area on the parcel exceeding 5 thousand square meters are required to be built in accordance with the "Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings" (nZEB) concept… This regulation, which will raise the energy performance class of buildings to at least "B", presents a major opportunity for sustainable, environmentally conscious and energy-efficient construction. İZODER President Emrullah Eruslu, noting that 1,400 buildings nationwide have transitioned to the "Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings" (nZEB) concept, stated his satisfaction: "nZEB buildings are of great importance for sustainable and safe construction. Although currently mandatory for buildings exceeding 5 thousand square meters, in line with Turkey's '2053 net zero emission' target, we recommend that all newly constructed buildings be built according to the nZEB concept. This way, we can make significant contributions to both the environment and the economy," he said. Steps taken by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change in accordance with provisions prioritizing the construction of climate-friendly green buildings and increasing incentives in this context are beginning to yield results. With the regulation issued under the relevant provision, amendments were made to the Building Energy Performance Regulation, and as of 1 January 2023, all buildings with a total construction area on the parcel exceeding 5 thousand square meters became mandatory to be built in accordance with the "Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings" (nZEB) concept. Accordingly, nZEB buildings will be constructed with an energy performance class of at least "B", and these buildings will meet at least 5 percent of their energy consumption from renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind energy and heat pumps. Under this scope, to date, 1,400 buildings exceeding 5 thousand square meters have been designed according to nZEB requirements and obtained permits.   İZODER Heat, Water, Sound and Fire Insulation Association Board Chairman Emrullah Eruslu, noting that nZEB concept buildings will be vital as global energy crisis alarm bells continue to ring: "Whether in our country or worldwide, we have no energy resources to waste. It is of utmost importance that all segments of society prioritize energy efficiency. In this context, we value the steps taken by our Ministry at the point of transition to Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings. As a sector, we will follow these implementations closely. We wish to emphasize once more that all buildings during reconstruction, regardless of square meters, must be built in accordance with the nZEB concept. We must close the gap between us and advanced countries in building energy efficiency and take decisive action in the sustainability race," he said.

New obligation coming in 2025, transition to nZEB today without waiting…

Emrullah Eruslu, noting that according to the Building Energy Performance Legislation, from 1 January 2025 the Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB) building requirement will be lowered to 2 thousand square meters, the renewable energy utilization ratio will be increased to 10 percent, and that insulation will play a very important role in achieving these targets, stated the following: "nZEB buildings with minimum energy performance of 'B' have 2-3 cm thicker insulation on facades, 4-6 cm on roofs, and 2 cm on floors, as well as windows with improved thermal insulation values through coated insulation glass units, thus providing users with significant savings on fuel bills. Without waiting for 2025, the construction of all buildings according to the nZEB concept will ensure that the public sets an example and takes the lead for the private sector, while the social impact of the project will be increased in terms of energy efficiency, environmental sensitivity and utilization of renewable energy. It should not be overlooked that this approach, which began in 11 disaster-affected provinces, will be expanded to 81 provinces, and social housing constructed in local and horizontal architecture according to the nZEB concept will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.

In Europe, all new buildings have been constructed with the nearly zero-energy concept since 2020…

İZODER President Emrullah Eruslu, drawing attention to the fact that the use of energy limits defined in Turkey in 2008 indicates major waste in energy, continued his remarks as follows: "In the European Union, all new public buildings have been constructed as nearly zero-energy since 2019, and all new buildings since the beginning of 2020. In many developed countries, buildings are designed and constructed with insulation such that annual energy consumption per unit square meter for heating and cooling is 30-50 kW. In our country, building energy consumption is still at the level of 120-150 kW (per unit square meter/year). With nZEB, which has become mandatory through the regulation revision, we will reduce energy consumption to 100-120 kW level in a limited number of structures with a total construction area exceeding 5 thousand square meters. Buildings outside this scope will continue to consume energy in the range of 120-150 kW. In summary, our current energy waste is 3 to 5 times higher when compared to developed countries. We need to bring our energy limits and U values to the level of developed countries as soon as possible, as also defined in the Energy Efficiency Strategy Document, along with this revision. As an association, through our 'U-turn is the only way' campaign that we have implemented, we are making considerable efforts to improve U values (heat transmittance ratio) nationwide. The TS 825 Standard for Heat Insulation Rules in Buildings revision is of great importance at this point. We are awaiting the early release of the revised standard."