S.L. 623.1 Art. 5Setting of minimum energy performance requirements.

(1) The Building and Construction Authority shall take the necessary measures to establish minimum energy performance requirements for buildings and building units with a view to achieving cost-optimal levels. The energy performance shall be calculated in accordance with the methodology referred to in regulation 4. Cost-optimal levels shall be calculated in accordance with the comparative methodology framework referred to in regulation 6. The design of buildings, the construction, the renovation and the technical building systems shall be compliant with Technical Document F (2023) Part 1 Dwellings Minimum Energy Performance and Building Envelope Requirements, Part 2 Non-Dwellings Minimum Energy Performance and Building Envelope Requirements, and Part 3 Technical Building Systems, as the case may be, and as may from time to time be amended, as the Building and Construction Authority shall determine. Technical Document F

(2023) shall be made available on the Authority’s website.

(2) The Building and Construction Authority shall take the necessary measures to establish minimum energy performance requirements for building elements that form part of the building envelope and which have a significant impact on the energy performance of the building envelope when they are replaced or retrofitted, with a view to achieving cost-optimal levels.

(3) When setting requirements, the Building and Construction Authority shall differentiate between new and existing buildings and between different categories of buildings. These requirements shall take into account general indoor climate conditions, in order to avoid possible negative effects such as inadequate ventilation, as well as local conditions and the designated function and the age of the building.

(4) Minimum energy performance requirements shall be reviewed at regular intervals which shall not be longer than five years and, if necessary, shall be updated in order to reflect technical progress in the building sector.

(5) The following categories of buildings shall be exempted from the requirements of sub-regulations (1), (2), (3) and (4):

(a) buildings classified as scheduled property (Grade 1 or 2) by the Planning Authority under article 57 of the Development Planning Act and buildings officially protected as part of a designated environment or because of their special architectural or historical or contextual merit, in so far as compliance with certain minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance;

(b) buildings used as places of worship;

(c) temporary buildings with a time of use of two years or less, industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings with low energy demand, and non-residential agricultural buildings which are in use by a sector covered by a national sectoral agreement on energy performance;

(d) stand-alone buildings with a total useful floor 2 area of less than 50m ;

(e) a building constructed for the Enemalta plc, the Water Services Corporation or any other similar entity, and used as a generation, transmission or distribution station.