--- title: "Zero-emission building" description: "Zero-emission building (EPBD IV): no on-site fossil fuel emissions and energy demand under a national cap. Standard for all new buildings from 2030." canonical: "https://gencompl.ai/glossary/zero-emission-building" language: "en-US" type: "Glossary term" published: "2026-10-14T18:25:46.123Z" modified: "2026-10-14T19:18:08.421Z" --- # Zero-emission building A building with a very high energy performance, as determined in accordance with Annex I, requiring zero or a very low amount of energy, producing zero on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels and producing zero or a very low amount of operational greenhouse gas emissions, in accordance with Article 11. Also known as: ZEB, emissievrij gebouw **What does "Zero-emission building" mean under EPBD IV?** Defined in: [EPBD IV](https://gencompl.ai/regulations/epbd) (32024L1275) [Home](https://gencompl.ai/) › [Glossary](https://gencompl.ai/glossary) › Zero-emission building > A building with a very high energy performance, as determined in accordance with Annex I, requiring zero or a very low amount of energy, producing zero on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels and producing zero or a very low amount of operational greenhouse gas emissions, in accordance with Article 11 Article 11 of EPBD IV (Directive (EU) 2024/1275): - **1.** A zero-emission building shall not cause any on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels. A zero-emission building shall, where economically and technically feasible, offer the capacity to react to external signals and adapt its energy use, generation or storage. - **2.** Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the energy demand of a zero-emission building complies with a maximum threshold. Member States shall set that maximum threshold for the energy demand of a zero-emission building with a view to achieving at least the cost-optimal levels established in the most recent national cost-optimal report pursuant to Article 6. Member States shall revise the maximum threshold every time that the cost-optimal levels are revised. - **3.** The maximum threshold for the energy demand of a zero-emission building shall be at least 10 % lower than the threshold for total primary energy use established at Member State level for nearly zero-energy buildings on 28 May 2024. - **4.** Member States may adjust the maximum threshold for the energy demand of a zero-emission building for renovated buildings, while complying with the respective provisions on cost optimality, and, where thresholds for renovated nearly zero-energy buildings have been established, the requirements of paragraph 3. - **5.** Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the operational greenhouse gas emissions of a zero-emission building comply with a maximum threshold established at the Member State level in their national building renovation plans. That maximum threshold may be set at different levels for new and renovated buildings. - **6.** Member States shall notify the Commission about their maximum thresholds, including a description of the calculation methodology per building type and relevant outdoor climate designation, in accordance with Annex I. The Commission shall review the maximum thresholds and recommend their adaptation where appropriate. - **7.** Member States shall ensure that the total annual primary energy use of a new or renovated zero-emission building is covered by: - (a) energy from renewable sources generated on-site or nearby, fulfilling the criteria laid down in Article 7 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 - (b) energy from renewable sources provided from a renewable energy community within the meaning of Article 22 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 - (c) energy from an efficient district heating and cooling system in accordance with Article 26(1) of Directive (EU) 2023/1791; or - (d) energy from carbon-free sources. - Where it is not technically or economically feasible to fulfil the requirements laid down in this paragraph, the total annual primary energy use may also be covered by other energy from the grid complying with criteria established at national level. ## Defined in / by - [EPBD IV (32024L1275)](https://gencompl.ai/regulations/epbd), Article 2, point (2) Last updated: 14 October 2026. ## Three tests and a national threshold A building is zero-emission when it passes three tests. It causes no on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels, so a gas boiler on the premises rules it out (Article 11(1)). Its energy demand stays under a maximum threshold that each Member State sets, at least 10 % below the national threshold for nearly zero-energy buildings as it stood on 28 May 2024 (Article 11(2) and (3)). And its operational greenhouse gas emissions stay under a second national maximum, set in the national building renovation plan (Article 11(5)). The definition matters because Article 7(1) makes it the standard for new construction: new buildings owned by public bodies must be zero-emission from 1 January 2028, and all new buildings from 1 January 2030. It also sets the top of the energy label. Under Article 19(2), letter A on the closed A to G scale corresponds to a zero-emission building. The exact numbers are national. The Directive fixes the method and the floor; the threshold a building must meet comes from the Member State where it stands. In the Netherlands, the rule for new buildings of public bodies sits in the draft second tranche of the Bbl amendments, consulted from 29 April to 26 May 2026. The general rule for all new buildings is planned for a later tranche. As at 14 October 2026 neither is in force, and the Dutch zero-emission threshold has not been published. > **What we could not establish** > > Until a Member State publishes its thresholds under Article 11, nobody can say whether a given design is a zero-emission building, only whether it avoids fossil fuels on site. This entry fixes the term. It does not decide whether the term catches your institution; counsel decides that. ## Questions and answers ### When must new buildings be zero-emission buildings? Under Article 7(1) of EPBD IV, new buildings owned by public bodies from 1 January 2028 and all new buildings from 1 January 2030. Until then, new buildings must at least be nearly zero-energy buildings. ### Can a zero-emission building still use energy from the grid? Yes, within limits. Article 11(7) lists the sources that should cover its total annual primary energy use, and where that is not technically or economically feasible, other grid energy meeting national criteria may also be used. ## Sources - [Directive (EU) 2024/1275 on the energy performance of buildings (recast)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1275/oj/eng) (EUR-Lex · 8 May 2024) - [Consultatie Besluit tot wijziging van het Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving i.v.m. de EPBD IV (tweede tranche)](https://www.internetconsultatie.nl/epbd_tranche2/b1) (Overheid.nl) ## Related content ### Regulation - [Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD IV)](https://gencompl.ai/regulations/epbd): EPBD IV is Directive (EU) 2024/1275, the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The Netherlands put its first tranche into force on 29 May 2026 (Stb. 2026, 103), with duties staged to 2033: recharging points in existing car parks from 1 January 2027, solar and lighting control from 1 January 2028. Energy label D by 2030 is still a proposal.