Commercial and Residential Buildings

In developed countries including Japan, the development of regulations and evaluation methods for the energy performance of buildings is ongoing and should be near completion by 2020. The major index is primary energy use by the building. Strong correlation between predicted and real energy use is sought, although this is not easy mainly because it requires accord between the energy calculation method and standards of products used as building components. The development of innovative technologies must include product standards for energy performance, which makes product characteristics transparent and the product easily integrated in buildings. By 2050, a 64 % reduction of greenhouse gases over current conditions will be realized globally and an 80 % reduction in currently developed countries including Japan.