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Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications

regulation
09.01.2013
In force
20.10.2014
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Methodology for calculating the energy performance of buildings

Passed 08.10.2012 Annex 63
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This regulation is made in accordance with subsection 7 of section 3 of the Building Act.
Chapter 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. Scope of application of the Regulation

This regulation establishes the methods for calculating the energy performance of buildings to prove their compliance with the minimum requirements for energy performance.
2. Definitions
(1) The terms in this regulation are defined as follows:
1) major renovation renovation is deemed to be major if the costs of modification of the buildings envelope elements and of modification or replacement of the buildings loadbearing or stiffening elements, or
of modification of the building envelope and the buildings technical systems or parts thereof, or the complete replacement of a technical system, exceed one quarter of the average building cost of a construction
work that is equivalent to the construction work which is being renovated;
2) technical systems the heating system and the system of hot household water including the corresponding heat sources, the ventilation system, the cooling system, lighting and the systems which generate
heat or electricity locally and are included in the energy calculation in accordance with this regulation;
3) indoor climate control the use of energy for the purpose of ensuring the quality of indoor air, including maintaining, increasing or reducing indoor temperature, in compliance with the ventilation and room
temperature requirements established in this regulation, and for the purpose of lighting under the buildings standard use;
4) heated area net area of rooms with indoor climate control;
5) energy network a system for the transmission of energy and for the distribution of energy to consumers (such as the power network, district heating and district cooling network, natural gas network);
6) heat gain solar radiation which enters the building, as well as internal heat gains from occupants, lighting, equipment and technical systems;
7) building leakage rate the parameter which characterises the air tightness of the building envelope and which is determined by means of an air leakage test at a pressure difference of 50 Pa. The buildings
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average leakage rate [m /(h m )] is expressed per square metre of the buildingenvelope. The area of the envelope is calculated on the basis of the internal dimensions of the building.
8) ESEER the average cooling season energy efficiency ratio of cooling and refrigeration equipment issued by their manufacturer, calculated according to the European standards and on the basis of the base
usage profile and use conditions of an average European cooling device, excluding the electricity use of the fans and pumps of the condenser;
9) SEER the average cooling season energy efficiency ratio which is stated in the energy performance certificate of air conditioners and air-to-air heat pumps whose capacity is up to 12 kW and which is
calculated as the ratio of the energy need for cooling during the cooling season to electricity use under standard conditions;
10) SCOP the annual average seasonal coefficient of performance which is stated in the energy performance certificate of air conditioners and air-to-air heat pumps whose capacity is up to 12 kW and which
is calculated as the ratio of energy need of heating to electricity use under standard conditions.
(2) The terms used in this regulation in relation to energy performance and energycalculation are defined as follows:
1) test reference year for energy calculations the body of outdoor weather data required for indoor climate and energy calculations and compiled following the Estonian standard EVS-EN ISO 159274:2005
on the basis of weather data collected in the entire territory of Estonia during the period 19702000;
2) exported energy the heat or electricity which is generated within the building or on the building site and which is not used in the building but is fed into energy networks;
3) local renewable energy the heat or electricity generated from solar, wind, water and geothermal energy sources within the building or on the building site. In the case of heat pumps, the renewable energy
harvested from the energy source is taken into account in the energy calculation according to the heat pumps coefficient of performance;
4) delivered energy the electricity obtained from power networks or the heat obtained from district heating networks in kilowatt-hours per annum (kWh/y) or the energy content (in kilowatt-hours) of fuel which is
obtained from fuel suppliers and which is used to cover the buildings annual aggregate energy use in so far as this is not covered by local renewable energy. Any fuel obtained from the building site is deemed
to constitute delivered energy;
5) total energy use (kWh/y) of the building use of heat and electricity by the buildings technical systems required for indoor climate control, the heating of household water and the operation of electrical
equipment, excluding local renewable energy (excepting heat pumps). The buildings total energy use includes all energy losses of the technical systems, including heat sources and the distribution systems of
local energy generation, and the conversion of energy (e.g., coefficient of performance of a heat pump, energy efficiency ratio of a cooling plant, cogeneration, fuel cell);
6) primary energy the amount of primary energy from renewable and non-renewable sources which is required for the generation of one kilowatt-hour of delivered energy, including any losses involved in
harnessing an energy source and in the generation, transmission and distribution of energy;
7) energy carrier conversion factors factors which take into account the use of primary energy required for the generation of delivered energy and the environmental impact involved;
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8) specific use the annual energy use in kilowatt-hours per square metre of heated area of a building [kWh/(m y)];
9) total weighted specific use of exported energy the sum of the products, calculated separately for each energy carrier, of the energy fed into the corresponding energy network and the energy carrier
conversion factor;
10) total weighted specific use of delivered energ the sum of the products, calculated separately for each energy carrier, of the delivered energy and the energy carrier conversion factor;
11) standard use of a building the normal use of a building in relation to the verification of compliance with the minimum requirements for energy performance. The determination of the standard use takes into
account the buildings purpose of use, its outdoor and indoor climate, the time during which the building and its technical systems are used, and heat gains;
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12) energy performance indicator [kWh/(m y)] calculated total weighted specific use of delivered energy consumed in the course of standard use of the building, from which the weighted specific use of
exported energy is subtracted;
13) appliances appliances which belong to the end user, such as home appliances, electronic devices, office appliances, and which do not constitute a part of any technical system;
14) usage profile the usage rate of a room, calculated as the ratio of the heat gain from lighting, equipment and occupants to the maximum heat gain;
15) specific heat loss of the building envelope [W/K] specific heat loss via the building envelope in watts when the difference between outdoor and indoor temperature is one degree Celsius;
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16) total specific heat loss of the building envelope per square metre of heated area [W/(m K)] total specific heat loss via the building envelope per square metre of heated area of the building at a difference
of one degree Celsius between indoor and outdoor temperature. The specific heat loss is the sum of the heat losses that result from conduction and infiltration through the building envelope;
17) energy need the electrical and thermal energy (without taking into account system losses and conversions from one energy type to another) required for indoor climate control, the heating of household
water, lighting, and the operation of equipment. The energy need comprises: energy need for space heating, space cooling, the heating of ventilation air, the cooling of ventilation air, ventilation, the heating of
household water, lighting and the operation of equipment;
18) energy need for space heating the amount of thermal energy required for the heating of rooms to indoor temperature, taking into account heat gains, heat losses that result from conduction and
infiltration through the building envelope and the heating of ventilation supply air to indoor temperature;
19) energy need for space cooling the amount of thermal energy required for the cooling of rooms to indoor temperature, including both latent and sensible heat, taking into account heat gain, conduction and
infiltration through the building envelope and the temperature of ventilation supply air;
20) energy need for the heating of household water the amount of thermal energy required for the heating of household water;
21) energy need for the heating of ventilation air the amount of thermal energy required for the heating of ventilation air to supply temperature, from which recovered heat is deducted; in the case of a
ventilation system without heat recovery, the amount of thermal energy required for the heating of ventilation air from the outdoor temperature to indoor temperature.
22) energy need for the cooling of ventilation air the amount of thermal energy required for the cooling of air, including both latent and sensible heat;
23) energy use use of electrical or thermal energy at a given point in the system. Energy use is calculated on the basis of energy need, taking into account system losses and energy conversion losses. At the
end-point of a technical system of the building (usually the connection point to the corresponding energy network), the energy use of the utility system equals the sum of delivered energy and local renewable
energy;
24) system boundary of delivered and exported energy the system boundary which is used in energy calculation and which determines the relations between the energy flows to be included in the calculation
(Figure 1).

Figure 1. System boundary of delivered and exported energy.

Chapter 2
INPUT PARAMETERS OF THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE CALCULATION
3. Energy calculation
(1) In order to verify the compliance of a building with the minimum requirements of energy performance, the energy calculation is performed with respect to the standard use of the building, using the input
parameters which are set out in this regulation and which characterise the indoor and outdoor climate, the periods of use and operation of the building and the utility systems, heat gains and the buildings air
leakage rate. The other necessary input parameters are taken from the building design documentation.
(2) For the purposes of the energy calculation, it is not necessary to perform a detailed division of the building into zones. Small residential buildings and buildings with a single purpose of use may be regarded
as a single zone for the purposes of the energy calculation. Large buildings are to be divided into as many zones as required according to their purposes and periods of use.
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(3) In this regulation, the buildings purposes of use are the purposes of use set out in the regulation entitled Minimum Requirements for Energy Performance enacted in accordance with subsection 7 of
section 3 of the Building Act.
4. Outdoor climate
Regardless of the buildings location, the energy calculation and the verification of compliance with the summertime indoor temperature requirement are performed on the basis of the data of the Estonian test
reference year. The test reference year represents the typical outdoor climate of three decades (19702000) and therefore is not suited to be used for the calculation of the heating power need. Where the test
reference year is used for calculating the cooling load, it should be borne in mind that the results are not applicable to the cooling load in the case of a warmer than average summer.
5. Indoor climate
(1) The energy calculation uses the indoor temperature set-points and ventilation air flow rates set out in the regulation entitled Minimum Requirements for Energy Performance enacted in accordance with
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subsection 7 of section 3 of the Building Act.
(2) In the case of a simplified calculation which treats indoor temperature as a constant, the indoor temperature set-points are used as the indoor temperature value (e.g., in residential buildings 21 C for heating
and 27 C for cooling). In the case of a dynamic calculation, the relevant values are used as the heating and cooling set-points of a thermostat. Where the building lacks a cooling system, the difference between
the summertime indoor temperatures and the cooling set-point must be calculated.
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(3) Outside of occupied hours, the ventilation air flow rate of a non-residential building is deemed to be 0.15 l/(sm ) in the out of operation mode of the ventilation system.
(4) In the case of a variable air volume ventilation system in which the air flow rate varies and whose control function operates in accordance with the quality of air (the carbon dioxide (CO ) content or a
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combination of CO content and, for example, temperature or humidity values), the air flow rates set out in the regulation entitled Minimum Requirements for Energy Performance enacted in accordance with
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subsection 7 of section 3 of the Building Act are used as the maximum air flow rates of the relevant rooms. Where a system with a variable air flow rate is used for the purpose of cooling, the maximum air flow
rate is determined according to the cooling need. The minimum air flow rate and the ventilation control function must, in general, be selected such as to avoid exceeding the 1000 ppm maximum volume fraction
of CO while the corresponding value in outdoor air is 400 ppm.
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Chapter 3
STANDARD USE OF THE BUILDING
6.Occupied hoursand heat gain
(1) The standard use of buildings and the corresponding heat gain from appliances and lighting and from occupants are provided in Table 1 which shows the buildings number of occupied hours per 24-hour
day, the number of days of use per week and the maximum heat gain from lighting and appliances and the maximum heat gain from occupants during the buildings occupied hours. The heat gain figures do not
include heat gain from the buildings technical systems, which is calculated as part of the calculations made for the technical systems according to the requirements set out in Chapter 5 of this regulation.
Table 1. Standard use of buildings and the corresponding maximum values of heat gain per square metre of heated area
Buildings purpose of use

Occupied hours
Hours

Usage rate

a Appliances
b Occupants
Lighting
Occupants
2
2
2
W/m
2
m /person
W/m
W/m

h/24h d/7d

Small residential building

00:00-00:00 24

0.6

c
8

d
2.4

42.5

Multi-apartment building

00:00-00:00 24

0.6

c
8

d
3

28.3

Office building, library or research building 07:00-18:00 11

0.55

12

12

17.0

Commerce building or terminal

07:00-21:00 14

0.55

20

17.0

Accommodation building

00:00-00:00 24

0.5

21.3

Food service building or service building

12:00-22:00 10

0.4

20

14

6.1

Public building

08:00-22:00 14

0.5

14

17.0

e
Educational building

08:00-16:00 8

15

14

5.4

Pre-school institution for children

07:00-19:00 12

0.4

15

20

3.8

Healthcare building

00:00-00:00 24

0.6

10.6

0.6

the figures shown assume the use, in non-residential buildings, of fluorescent lights or other lighting equipment of similar effectiveness. The heat releases shown include both the nominal power of the
fluorescent light and the nominal power of the starter which accounts for approximately 25% of the nominal power.
b
c
d

the internal heat gain from occupants only includes the sensible heat. In order to include latent heat, the relevant values must be divided by the factor 0.6.
the usage rate of lighting in residential buildings is 0.1.
to obtain the electricity use of the appliances in residential buildings, the heat release value must be divided by the factor 0.7.

e
f

excluding pre-school institutions for children.

during the summer break from 15 June to 15 August, the usage intensity is 0.1 and the ventilation operates in the non-use-hours mode.

(2) Usage rate means the average use intensity of lighting and appliances and the average presence of occupants during the buildings occupied hours. The maximum heat release value (usage rate = 1) is
used in the calculations of summertime indoor temperatures and cooling loads, except in the case of buildings referred to under subsections 8 and 9. For the purposes of the energy calculation, the maximum
heat release value is multiplied by the usage ra