Abstract

This chapter reviews current policy instruments that are relevant in terms of energy and environmental comfort in buildings. Based on an overview of energy indicators worldwide, it comprises detailed information on ten Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. For each country, the review covers information on building energy codes, energy labeling, and environmental comfort codes, among other aspects. The conclusions show that there are important differences between countries, where most of them have developed initiatives on energy efficiency in buildings that would indirectly improve comfort, but very few have developed policies and standards specifically on environmental comfort.