The government enacted the revised Building Energy Conservation Act
On June 13th, the revised Building Energy Conservation Act was approved at the plenary session of the House of Councilors. The revised act emphasized a mandatory obligation for all residential and non-residential buildings to comply with the energy conservation standards in FY2025. For new buildings, it aims to secure ZEH/ZEB (Zero Energy House/Building) levels of energy efficiency in 2030, and in 2050 on the stock average.
The name of the act is “A partial revision of the act on the improvement of energy consumption performance of buildings, etc. to realize decarbonized societies”. The government bundled and revised the four acts, such as the Building Energy Conservation Act, the Building Standards Act, the Act on the Japan Housing Finance Agency, and the Act on Architects and Building Engineers. It also expanded the Top Runner System for the higher energy efficiency of residential buildings. A low-interest financing system is established for existing residential and non-residential buildings to support energy-efficiency renovations. The architect is obliged to explain the effects of introducing renewable energy to the building owner in the areas designated by the local governments for promoting the use of renewable energy. Use of renewable energy is also promoted in the buildings sector which account for approximately 40% of demand for wood. The revised Building Standards Act and the Act on Architects and Building Engineers aim to rationalize the regulations on fire prevention and structure.