Evaluation of the Environmental Impact and Financial Cost of Buildings in the First Design Phase

Since most important design decisions are taken during the first design phase, an evaluation ofthe total environmental impact is necessary at that moment. A first step in that direction is takenby the Flemish government through the introduction of the Energy Performance Norm (EPN) fromJanuary 2006 on. The EPN evaluates the overall energy consumption of buildings during the usephase instead of looking at thermal insulation and compactness only.