Background
Austria has a governmental environmental rating system called Klimaaktiv, which uses the methodology published by IBO (Österreichisches Institut für Baubiologie und -ökologie) called Ökoindex 3, which is proprietary to IBO and not an open system. Klimaaktiv is a national environmental assessment method for building materials. It includes a weighted score of GWP, primary energy depletion, and acidification potential with a fixed scale of performance. The materials assessment is a mandatory part of the certification. A total of 1000 points can be achieved through this system based on four categories – location, energy & supply, building materials & construction, and comfort & health. Performing well in this certification can make residential buildings eligible for an additional environment-related subsidy. This certification has been applied to over 500 buildings as of 2020.
Six of the nine Austrian states have applied Ökoindex 3 to their housing subsidy mechanisms alongside energy-related performance and features. For example, in Tirol the embodied impact performance improvement is translated into cash using a scoring scheme, whereas in Vorarlberg, performance improvements release a 35-year low-interest loan.