Defining zero carbon and zero energy homes from a performance-based regulatory perspective

Abstract

The development of a framework for defining net zero energy and net zero carbon homes has seen significant progress over the past decade. With anthropogenic climate change the principal driver, numerous governments are moving to regulate homes at or near a net zero energy or net zero carbon performance level. What has been missing in the literature is a discussion of how the basic principles of performance-based building regulation will shape the definition. The very nature of performance-based regulation as a legally contestable instrument shapes and limits the content of a regulatory definition. This paper examines the recent literature on zero energy and zero carbon building definition frameworks, explores the key characteristics of performance-based standards and determines practical definitions that could be adopted within performance-based building codes.