‘Nearly zero-energy building’ project to start by new year

ISTANBUL

The implementation of the nearly zero-energy building project will start in all 81 provinces by the new year, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum has said.

“With the project, all buildings larger than 5,000 square meters will be built with an energy performance class of at least ‘B.’ It will be mandatory to meet at least 5 percent of the energy they consume from renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind energy and heat pumps,” Kurum said.

The ministry aims to save an average of 25 percent in energy consumption “without deteriorating the heating conditions.” In this way, the country’s energy import bill will be reduced by 5 billion Turkish Liras annually, the minister noted.

“Hopefully, starting from 2030, we will construct all our buildings as ‘Nearly Zero Energy Buildings.’ Good luck to our country, our cities, our industry,” he said.

Kurum also pointed to the unhealthy building stock in the country. “There are more than 6 million unhealthy building stocks in the country, which need to undergo earthquake transformation.”

The ministry aims to transform these buildings by 2035, he added.

Stating that the construction sector is one of the locomotive sectors of Türkiye, Kurum said, “We, as a country, rank second in the construction sector in the world, which makes a great contribution to the economy, employment and development by influencing 250 sub-sectors. The sector provides employment for more than 2 million people.”

A nearly zero-energy building (NZEB) is defined as a building with very high energy performance, where the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be extensively covered by renewable sources produced on-site or nearby.