The importance of the energy certificate
What is the energy certificate?
The energy certificate is a report that gives information about a house’s energy-saving ability and its CO2 emissions. These capacities are classified from to, with the most efficient and the most inefficient level being. These ratings are valid for 10 years.
What does each letter in the rating mean?
● – A: Highest energy efficiency
● – B: high efficiency
● – C: Average efficiency
● – D: normal efficiency
● – E: Low efficiency
● – F: Very low efficiency
● – G: Has no type of energy efficiency
Is it important to have the certificate?
The possession of this certificate has been compulsory in Spain since June 2013 if you want to sell or rent the property. If the certificate is not available and the property is still sold or rented, there is a risk of a fine of between 300 and 6,000 euros.
It is mandatory to add the energy certificate information to the advertisement for a property for sale or rent. This energy certificate is important if you want to sell or rent a property. In this way, the tenant or owner learns what level of energy efficiency the property has and can thus better assess whether it is worth buying or renting out.
What is the energy certificate for?
The certificate serves to present the energy efficiency transparently and thus serves as a basis for decision-making, if necessary, to be able to reduce energy consumption and thus energy costs. This information is also important when it comes to re-negotiating an energy tariff, as it has to match the condition of the property. However, the energy certificate is only of an informative nature.
The aim of this regulation is to raise awareness of the importance of reducing energy consumption in homes. The certificate shows in a simple and understandable way whether a building or house is energy efficient or not.
With these certificates, the Spanish and European government would like to achieve that houses with a low classification are refurbished in order to improve their energy efficiency and thus the quality of life.
Who evaluates the house and issues the certificates?
The owners of the houses can ask a technician to draw up the certificate, but this task is usually done by architects or engineers. There are mainly three aspects that are taken into account in the assessment: the surface of the house, the characteristics of the construction and the electrical appliances that are used in the house.
Can the rating be improved?
The classification of the house will have an impact on the sale or rental, as electricity and water bills will be more expensive if the energy efficiency is low. Houses with the classification; have higher costs. However, there are several solutions to improve the classification.
To do this, you need to consider certain reforms, such as replacing the windows with others made with a material like glass to improve thermal performance, thermally insulating the walls to the outside of the house, or replacing the boiler with a more efficient one. These are just some of the things that can be done to achieve an increase in the classification, but it should be noted that in most cases, several actions are required.
Are there exceptions if there is no energy certificate?
There are some cases where it is not mandatory to have this certificate in a sales contract, such as:
Properties that are not occupied for more than 4 months a year
Properties to be demolished
Garages, storage rooms or uninhabitable rooms
In the same way, the owner must sign a declaration of responsibility in one of the above cases.
What if the seller says the energy certificate is in process?
Some people say the certificate is in progress and will be ready shortly. The creation of the certificate takes about 5 to 10 days. There are autonomous communities that sanction real estate agencies and individuals if the certificate is pending for a long time.
