GH, Establishes Zero-Energy Building Guidelines

Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation

Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) has established guidelines for zero-energy buildings.

On the 12th, GH announced that it has developed guidelines for zero-energy multi-family housing grades 4 and 5 in response to the government's mandatory zero-energy building (ZEB) policy and to expand the supply of related buildings.

ZEB refers to green buildings that maximize insulation performance to reduce energy consumption and minimize energy demand by utilizing renewable energy. The ZEB certification system is divided into five levels based on energy self-sufficiency rates: to achieve ZEB grade 5, an energy self-sufficiency rate of 20% or higher is required, and for grade 4, 40% or higher is necessary.

The government has been enforcing mandatory ZEB grade 5 certification for public multi-family housing with 30 or more units since 2023 to reduce carbon emissions in the building sector. This will apply to private sector multi-family housing starting in 2025.

The ZEB guidelines prepared by GH propose optimal technologies applicable by certification grade, including ▲passive elements such as insulation, windows, and airtightness ▲active elements such as heat source equipment and lighting density ▲renewable energy elements such as solar power, geothermal, and fuel cells. In particular, during ZEB certification evaluation, technical factors with high energy sensitivity such as insulation performance of exterior walls, roofs, floors, and windows, as well as boiler and heat exchanger efficiency, were considered important.

Furthermore, the guidelines suggest strengthening insulation performance standards for exterior walls (indirect), windows, and entrance doors, as well as lighting density criteria, as the most efficient measures to secure ZEB grades 4 and 5, minimizing building energy use and installing solar power generation systems as renewable energy sources.

Kim Se-yong, President of GH, stated, "In preparation for the expansion of mandatory ZEB targets and upgrading of certification grades for public buildings, we have proactively established design standards and guidelines and plan to conduct ZEB training to enhance employee capabilities."