WORLDWIDE STATUS OF ENERGY STANDARDS FOR BUILDINGS

We present an international profile of activities and research issues related to energy standards for buildings. In the past decade, a few c ross-national comparative studies have been published that address ene rgy standards for residential buildings in industrialized countries. M ore detailed descriptions of a broader range of energy standard activi ties would be useful to countries seeking to improve or develop standa rds, particularly for non-residential buildings and in less-developed countries (LDCs). Toward this end, we developed a 15-page informal sur vey to gather specific information about the contents, development, an d use of energy standards, particularly for non-residential buildings. This paper provides a snapshot of the legal status and coverage of en ergy standards in 57 countries. We have used survey results to charact erize specific energy standards in 35 countries in greater detail, as well as to outline building energy-efficiency activities in seven coun tries without energy standards. Our project submits a possible framewo rk for further inquiry into building energy standards research.