You might have seen a Monty Python movie, or you might imagine yourself what happens. When laying a foundation for something, it has to be solid and suitable for the purpose. In the case of local space heating and related products the EU commission has implemented a foundation called the Primary Energy Factor (PEF). This factor is based on the term primary energy, which by Wikipedia is explained as follows: Energy found in nature that has not been subjected to any human engineered conversion process (Primary energy – Wikipedia).
The PEF base unit was set to be equal to the energy released when burning coal, oil or gas. In other words when you burn and release 1 kWh of heat with these materials you get 1 kWh of “primary energy”. This is the fundamental mistake, and consequently the “primary energy factor” (PEF) for electricity was calculated, based on the principle that electricity is always generated by burning fossil fuels. The factor of 2,5 reflects that you need burn 2,5 kWh of fossil fuels to generate 1 kWh of electricity (an efficiency factor corresponding to 40%). Which is true in itself, but this a method of generating electricity is what we are moving away from, and which is not reflected with energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower.
With the PEF principle one is claiming that using electricity is a very bad option for anything, because you assume that fossil fuels are burned to create that electricity.
It was suggested to “lower the PEF” from 2,5 to recognize that not all electricity comes from fossil fuels. The factor was set to 1,9 from a political viewpoint. The problem with a general PEF is that it won’t work no matter the value. Each house is different, cities and countries are also different from another. Climate and topography play a role as well. Creating a legal framework based on a fixed PEF will work poorly. It is similar to applying a certain fix to a problem, but with the issue that the problem is varying case to case. Consequently the fix work poorly.
Energy labelling of buildings, which is built by professionals, must be measured by the consumption of the house, not each component as such which the building is built from. It is the total impact that matter, not one wooden plank or a particular component in your construction. The detail level and bureaucracy that follows a PEF, implemented on a wide product level is not of any benefit. On the opposite it is misleading and creating a fog of non-transparency. End users will be insecure and doubtful.
When you plan to buy a product you want to do a conscious choice. As a consumer you trust that a class A dishwasher is better than a class C or class F. The same should apply to buildings. A general fixed PEF makes it very hard for the user to choose, and secondly trust the choice. We appeal to policy makers to stop using a general primary energy factor as a principle. It is working against the common goals we have set for the future.
Author:
Jan Erik Nilsen