The Technical Regulations for Energy Efficiency Labelling of Commercial Buildings (RTQ-C) was published in Brazil in February 2009 as part of INMETRO Brazilian Labeling Program. It contains two evaluation methods: the prescriptive method and the simulation method. This paper describes the prescriptive method, and discusses its foundation, pointing out specific features and applications of this method. This method was applied in an existing building, considering 13 alternatives to access the energy efficient labels of the envelope, lighting system and air conditioning system. The paper points out cases in which the simulation method is more appropriated than the prescriptive method, due to limitations of the later - the results ranged from A, more efficient, to E, less efficient. Then, this analysis indicates the evaluation potential of the prescriptive method.
Energy efficiency; Labelling; Prescriptive method