DIN EN 15193 was devised to establish conventions and procedures for estimating the energy requirements of lighting in buildings and to give a methodology for a numeric indicator of energy performance of buildings.

The methodology and the format for the presentation of results in this standard meet the requirements of Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on the energy performance of buildings. That directive is transposed into German law by the energy conservation ordinance "Energieeinsparverordnung" (EnEV), which refers not to this standard, however, but to DIN V 18599-4 for the calculation of the energy requirements of lighting.