Buildings’ energy efficiency and building energy codes: a literature review

International concerns in relation to energy conservation began to emerge during the oil crisis in 1973. At this time attention focused on how to conserve this non-renewable energy source. Since then the buildings has been considered as high potential of saving energy, thus improving the energy efficiency of buildings became an important aspect of conservation. It attracted interest from the relevant bodies in the developed countries where, as a result, building energy codes were developed. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the economic imperative for energy conservation began to diminish due to the dropping of oil prices to pre-1970s levels. Gradually the environmental concerns replaced the economic ones. This was enforced by the call to reduce the green house gases emission to protect the environment from the potential danger of climate change. The environmental aspect has driven the recent development of the building energy codes aiming to reduce CO2 emissions. The distinctive features of each community determine the detailed aspects of the building energy codes; the codes should therefore reflect the cultural and political context of the targeted community. Learning from others experiences represent the first step towards creating successful building energy codes.