New requirements for nearly zero-energy buildings have appeared in Ukraine. Order of the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine dated February 06, 2025 No. 168 "Some issues of introducing requirements for nearly zero-energy buildings", registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on February 21, 2025 under No. 284/43690, this order defines the requirements for:
- energy efficiency class;
- primary energy consumption indicator from non-renewable energy sources;
- share of energy produced from renewable energy sources;
- thermal performance characteristics of building envelopes;
- air permeability;
- existing engineering systems.
Currently, these requirements allow buildings to be certified according to the NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) standard, but do not impose such an obligation.
The NGO "KMO VGO "Civil Network OPORA" together with partners within the project "Economic and technical opportunities for the implementation of the NZEB standard in Ukraine", implemented with the support of the European Climate Foundation, carried out large-scale work to develop these requirements and promote them. In particular, leading experts conducted a basic policy analysis, carried out a series of studies to determine the national framework of these requirements and calculate their economic and environmental impact. The result of our activity is a comprehensive report consisting of the following sections:
- Review of NZEB requirements in Europe, taking into account that these standards have not yet been adopted in Ukraine.
- Analysis of construction costs and market value of housing compared to current market value.
- Analysis of the amount of budget savings in the construction and reconstruction of residential and public buildings in accordance with NZEB standards.
- Recommendations on financial instruments to support the cost-effective implementation of energy efficiency technologies.
- Review of construction technologies to ensure compliance with NZEB standards.
- Analysis of energy consumption indicators for hot water supply to be taken into account in the requirements for NZEB buildings.
You can familiarize yourself with the specified materials at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/4re6wfvk
The introduction of a standard for buildings with near-zero energy consumption for its application in the construction of new and reconstruction of existing buildings is one of the crucial options for solving the problems of increasing Ukraine's energy independence and reducing the impact on the environment by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels (primarily coal and natural gas).
The requirements for NZEB buildings are enshrined in the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings EU/31/201 and provide for a high level of energy efficiency and low energy consumption of buildings, as well as the use of a significant share of renewable energy sources (RES).
The approval of requirements for buildings with a near-zero energy consumption level is an important step for Ukraine in terms of association with the European Union. It will also contribute to the development of energy independence of our country.
As a reminder, the Strategy for Thermal Modernization of Buildings, approved on December 29, 2023, provides for the annual thermal modernization of 1% of existing buildings and the construction of 100+ buildings according to NZEB requirements from 2025. From 2030, annual thermal modernization of 3% of existing buildings and a full transition to construction according to the NZEB standard. And from 2050, decarbonization of 100% of buildings in Ukraine (all NZEB buildings). Currently, a draft of the State Target Program for Thermal Modernization of Buildings in Ukraine has been developed at the state level.
We offer for viewing:
- An informative video we created about NZEB buildings: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15wrcR5D2B/
- Video of the roundtable meeting "Requirements for buildings with nearly zero energy consumption in Ukraine": https://tinyurl.com/yzyahet2