Building energy regulations, also referred to as building energy codes, emerged in the 1970s as an essential
tool for improving energy efficiency and minimising energy consumption in buildings. Basically they aim
at setting minimum energy efficiency requirements to achieve energy efficient design in new buildings.
This paper analyses the development of building energy codes concerning Heating, Ventilation and Air-
Conditioning (HVAC) energy efficiency, along with their scope and compliance paths. The paper focuses on
the synthesis of energy efficiency requirements on HVAC systems of non-residential buildings in different
regulations. Critical issues for the development of prescriptive and performance regulatory paths for this
type of systems in non-residential buildings are discussed in order to improve the understanding of HVAC
energy efficiency topics and to provide policy makers with a menu of options to strengthen the HVAC
section of building energy codes.