Building codes

Building codes for new buildings were tightened in several stages in 1977, 1985, 1996 (large buildings) and 1998 (small buildings). The 1996 and 1998 codes were designed to cut an additional 25% off net heating demand, reducing it to about 70 kWh per square metre per year. The code also sets limits on electricity consumption for ventilation and will enforce low temperature heating systems to increase the efficiency of various heat supply systems, such as district heating systems, condensing boilers, solar energy and heat pumps. A further reduction to 45 kWh per square metre was scheduled to enter into force around 2005. Buildings respecting this limit through combined exploitation of passive solar techniques, insulation and coated glazing are already being built.
Building codes were tightened in several stages by 2013. The Danish building code is among the strictest in the world. The building code contains three performance levels: minimum requirements, a voluntary building class 2015, and a voluntary building class 2020. The main requirement is on energy performance for the building as a whole. It is supplemented by rather detailed requirements on the building envelope and on installations, for instance minimum requirements on thermal resistance of different parts of the building envelope, on air tightness of the building envelope as a whole, on efficiency of boilers, energy performance of windows etc.

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