Uzbekistan Launches Zero Energy Building Standards by 2040

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan has approved a sweeping phased transition to Zero Energy Building standards, setting the country on course to eliminate natural gas dependency in public construction by 2040.

The Cabinet of Ministers has formally adopted the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) program, a multi-stage national initiative designed to overhaul how public buildings are designed, constructed, and operated across the country. The program targets energy consumption reduction, accelerated decarbonization of the construction sector, and the systematic adoption of modern ecological standards.

A Three-Phase Roadmap to 2040

The government has mapped out a precise legislative timeline. During 2026–2027, baseline ZEB requirements will be introduced across the sector. Between 2028 and 2030, all state-owned facilities must achieve ZEB Ready certification. From 2031 through 2040, new buildings will be constructed exclusively under full ZEB and Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standards — with no exceptions permitted.

Critically, the decree explicitly prohibits the simplification or omission of mandated energy-efficiency measures at any stage of design or construction — a provision aimed at preventing the regulatory workarounds that have undermined similar programs in other markets.

Implementation Begins This Year

Practical rollout commences in 2025, with one social infrastructure facility to be modernized in each of 33 districts and cities nationwide. Authorities project these retrofits will reduce energy consumption in targeted buildings by 30 to 35 percent, while achieving near-total elimination of natural gas usage.

Starting July 1, 2026, all design work for state facilities must be grounded in the results of a prior energy audit. Upon commissioning, buildings will be required to meet a minimum energy efficiency rating of Class "C."

Digital Infrastructure and Workforce Development

The program extends beyond bricks and mortar. Uzbekistan will deploy a digital automated energy efficiency assessment system capable of classifying both residential and non-residential buildings by consumption level through data-driven digital analysis — a tool intended to enforce compliance at scale rather than relying on manual inspection.

Alongside the technical framework, the government has committed to training more than 50 specialized professionals to build domestic competency in energy-efficient construction — a sector where qualified expertise remains scarce across Central Asia.

The ZEB program represents one of the most structurally ambitious components of Uzbekistan's broader green transition agenda, signaling a decisive shift away from the energy-intensive Soviet-era construction norms that still define much of the country's built environment.