Under energy performance requirements, you can do what?

• A. Make up for lack of efficiency in one area with more efficiency in another
• B. Improve any one area only
• C. Ignore efficiency requirements
• D. Double the energy target

Answer: (A)

Energy performance requirements are evaluated on the building as a whole, allowing you to balance efficiency across different parts of the design. If one area isn’t as efficient, you can compensate with greater efficiency in another area to still meet the overall energy target. This idea of trade-offs is why making up for a shortfall in one area with gains elsewhere is the correct approach. It’s not about improving just one area in isolation, ignoring the requirements, or doubling the target—those aren’t how performance paths work. A practical example is tightening the building envelope less and offsetting with a more efficient HVAC system or lighting scheme to achieve the same overall energy use.