The South American session of the international webinar series,"THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS POLICIES IN 5 CONTINENTS" was held on November 4, 2010, 10 pm - 12:30 pm, Brasilia time. The agenda for the free 2.5-hour webinar was: · 10:00 Introduction - Jean Carassus, TG 66 Coordinator · 10:10 "The Ordinance on Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela" - Nastia Almao, Emeritus Professor, University of Zulia · 10:30 "Energy efficiency in buildings in Colombia" - Carlos Valles, UPME (Energy Planing Unit), Ministry of Mines and Energy · 10:50 "Energy efficiency in buildings in Argentina" - Gautam Dutt · 11:10 "Barriers to Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Emerging Economies. Strategies to start actions: The case of Uruguay." - Alfonso Blanco, Mechanical and Industrial Engineer of UdelaR University · 11:30 "Chilean Building Thermal Performance regulations: what we´ve done and what we haven´t." - Waldo Bustamante, Professor at the School of Architecture. P. Catholic University of Chile (PUC) · 11:50 "The Brazilian Energy Efficiency Label for Buildings" - Roberto Lamberts, UFSC, Professor, Federal University of Santa Catarina, South Brazil · 12:10 Conclusions - Jean Carassus, TG 66 Coordinator

1. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about the Thermal Quality of
buildings for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Nastia Almao A., Professor,
Ch. Eng., Mech. Eng. MSc
Consultant
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

2. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Maracaibo urban external conditions:
• Maximum outdoor temperature: 35 C
• Minimum outdoor temperature: 25.3 C
• Minimum urban outdoor temperature: 24 to 30 C
• Annual average temperature: 29.6 C
• Daytime relative humidity: 50 to 65%
• Night relative humidity: 75 to 92%
• Average maximum wind velocity : 2.3 m/s
• Annual average wind velocity: 1.5 m/s
Geographic Location: • Pollution levels: moderate
Zulia is located in the • Height above sea level: 30 m
north west of Venezuela. • North Latitude: 10.65°
Maracaibo is the capital of
Zulia State. It currently
has three million These daily hygrothermal values (temperature
inhabitants, and humidity) characterizes its climate as hot
approximately. and humid, being all year out of the thermal
comfort zone.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

3. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
What was the energetic situation of Maracaibo when ENELVEN
(Maracaibo’s electricity supply Company) decided to structure a
Commission to study solution alternatives?
1. Energy Consumption Trend (1998)
kWh/d/year
Comparison of annual electric consumption for dwelling (kWh/d/year) for the
state of Zulia, Venezuela and other South American countries.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

4. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Energy Consumption Trend (1998) IRONING
OTHERS LAUNDRY 2%
7% 2% LIGHTING
6%
REFRIGERATOR
INDUSTRIAL 11%
21%
RESIDENTIAL
49%
OTHERS
3%
AIR CONDITIONING
76%
COMMERCIAL
23%
Maracaibo distribution of electricity consumptions among sectors where 49% is
residential
Distribution of residential sector electricity consumptions, where 76%
is from air conditioning usage, 11% refrigerators, and 6% lighting.
2. Wrong Habits of Electrical energy use.
3. Low cost and subsidy of energy (0.032 USD/kWh).
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

5. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
4. In the last decades, the urban development of the City of Maracaibo, was
characterized by a violent unplanned expansion, resulting in profound
changes in the environmental and aesthetic quality of the urban area.
5. The architecture of the city was not
consistent with local climatic
conditions, with the subsequent
installation of mechanical air
conditioning units of high cooling
capacity.
6. Absence of laws regulating the
thermal quality of buildings.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

6. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Commission for the Improvement of the Thermal Quality
of Buildings and Urban Space
1996
The project was led by the local electricity supply company’s center for
energy optimization (ENELVEN-COE), who invited the following
organizations:
The University of Zulia
Municipality of Maracaibo
Chamber of Construction
Real State Chamber of Commerce
Social and Economic Development Institute
Engineers and Architects Association
Energy and Mines Ministry
Environmental Ministry.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

7. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
HANDBOOK FOR HANDBOOK FOR
THERMAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF URBAN SPACE THERMAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF BUILDINGS
(1997) (1999)
Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the city of Maracaibo Project (2001)
National Fund for Science, Technology and Electricity Supply Company of Zulia State
Innovation of Venezuela (currently CORPOELEC national electricity
(under the Ministry of Science and corporation).
Technology).
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

8. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Ordinance on Buildings Thermal Quality for the city of Maracaibo
Approved by Municipality Chamber on February 2th, 2005
Published in the Municipality Gazette on July 20th, 2005
Taking effect on January 20th, 2006.
Being the first regulation of this nature in Venezuela, a communication and
outreach program was set up in order to:
Inform, educate and capacitate the architecture and construction
community, through frequent talks at local universities and audio-visual
media, forums, conferences, workshops .
Train those officials of the municipality, responsible for verifying
compliance with the Ordinance.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

9. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Ordinance Development Methodology
OBJECTIVE
To ensure that the conditions of design and construction of the building
envelope (roof and walls) in the Municipality of Maracaibo complies with the
limits of the Global Thermal Transfer Value (VTTG), in order to guarantee
thermal comfort conditions and to diminish electricity consumption due to air
conditioning use.
Quantitative Evaluation of handbook recommended alternatives.
Research about related regulations at international level on which to frame
and build up the new regulation.
Calculation Method Selection.
Development of required databases.
Calculation of variables.
Establishment of limit values to comply with the ordinance.
Establishment of requirements for a friendly software achievement.
Writing the ordinance text as a mandatory legal instrument.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

10. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
The Ordinance presents a methodology to evaluate the
energy efficient design of a building’s envelope taking into
account:
Local climate
Physical and thermal properties of local construction
assemblies for walls and roofs
Envelope external finishing
Type, number of panes and dimension of window glass,
Fenestration external solar protection and,
Internal design temperature.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

11. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
These variables are considered in the
VTTG (Global Heat Transfer Value) calculation.
The Global Thermal Transfer Value (VTTG) represents the maximum heat
gain through each of the outer surfaces of a building, setting an internal
temperature of twenty five degrees centigrade (25 C). It is evaluated under
extreme weather conditions of Maracaibo and it is determined separately for
walls and roofs, per unit of total area.
Requirement VTTG for Compliance
25 W/m2
Roof requirement 25 W/m2
(opaque and transparent portions)
Walls requirement 60 W/m2 60 W/m2
(opaque and transparent portions)
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

12. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
It was established as mandatory for new commercial and residential
buildings.
All variables involved to VTTG calculation should be considered during
the design process of a building.
Architects and Constructors can get the ordinance with the software
(named PROCATED) to preliminary assess the building envelope
thermal quality.
The building project should be reviewed and evaluated by the local
authority (Oficina Municipal de Planificación Urbana, OMPU*) before a
construction permit is granted.
(*) Municipal Urban Planning Bureau
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

13. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Incentive Scheme
Urban Incentives Tax Incentives
Special qualifications awarded in Total or partial exemptions of buildings
recognition for the contruction taxes are given as a benefit
contribution to energy savings. for achiving a special qualification:
Thermal Quality Thermal Quality Thermal Quality
Gold Seal Silver Seal Bronze Seal
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

14. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Ordinance Implementation Results (2006 – 2010)
Statistic of the Project Evaluated Special Qualifications 2006-2009
Bronze
Year Requested 18% Approved
Permission 25%
Silver
2006 69 15%
2007 70
2008 124
2009 18
Total
Construction 281
Permits Gold
42%
76% residential and 24% non residential Datos: Arq. E. Amador 2010. Según datos del CPU Alcaldía de Maracaibo
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010

15. “The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
“The Ordinance about Buildings Thermal Quality for the City of Maracaibo-Venezuela ”
Concluding Remarks:
• The Ordinance has brought benefits to: building end user; promoters;
state and municipality; electricity company and the environment.
• It has been important having established an incentive regime.
• It has served to acquaint architects, engineers and contractors to
design buildings with energy conservation criteria.
Projects in process:
To extend this ordinance application to other municipalities of
Venezuela.
Stepping forward, including regulations for the others energy
systems of the building.
Certification of Energy Efficiency in Buildings.
Maracaibo, Venezuela. 2010