Houses and buildings with high energy-efficiency are a way to reduce general energy consumption and reduce the overall national carbon footprint. In this respect a well-designed house with proper thermal insulation and efficient energy distribution can lower energy bills dramatically (sometimes as much as 50%).
The European commission has been working for a long time on a set of regulations in order to promote energy efficiency in buildings and in 2002 launched directive 2002/91/CE on the energy performance of buildings.
The directive which has been modified several times was finalized with the directive 2010/31/UE which will be enforced all over the European Union.
Spain implemented the directive by Royal Decree 235/2013 on the 5th of April 2013, and applies from June 1st 2013. Similar laws have already been implemented in most of the EU countries.
The new law on building energy efficiency
In short, the law states that any property for sale or for rental has to have an energy performance certificate. This certificate will give the property an overall energy efficiency rating from A to G, similar to the energy efficiency rating of domestic appliances like fridges and washing machines.
This will give better information to the property buyer or tenant, relating to the expected energy costs of the property and will eventually become one of the many factors for consumers in
choosing a property.
Any document advertising the property including flyers and websites will have to state the energy efficiency rating of the building (a letter from A to G), This is particularly important for real-estate agencies. Failure to do this might incur in fines.
How is the energy efficiency rating calculated?
In a building, energy efficiency is calculated by measuring the energy consumed each year under normal conditions. This will take into account all services used such as heating, air conditioning, ventilation, hot water and lighting, in order to maintain normal comfortable conditions. Any additional installations, like solar panels or wind turbines will be included in the calculation.
Specifically, the indicator reflects the carbon footprint of the house and the amount of CO2 (in kilograms) divided by the usable surface of the building. Buildings with a ratio of emissions below a threshold of 6.8 kg of CO2/m2 per year are rated with the letter A, the best rating. G, the worst rating is assigned when the emission exceed 70.9 kg of C02/m2 per year.
It has to be said that the A rating is fairly difficult to reach with normal construction techniques (at the moment of writing there is only one single building in Spain with A rating) and that most houses will be graded between C and E. These scores will probably improve for new houses, as new energy saving recommendations will be included in the latest editions of the Código Técnico de la Edificación.
Who needs the certificate?
The Energy performance certificate will be compulsory for any landlord selling or renting a property. There will be several exceptions like: historical monuments or protected buildings, apartments rented for periods less than 4 months, isolated buildings with less than 50m2 of usable surface, religious buildings and agricultural or industrial buildings.
The certificate will be compulsory for new constructions and for extensive renovations of old buildings.
Sanctions for the non-possession of the certificate will be anywhere between €300 and €6000 depending on the gravity of the infraction.
How can we obtain an energy performance certificate?
There are many authorized certification companies that can issue the certificates. The certification will involve an expert visiting the property, taking measurements and issuing a report. The report will include as well recommendations for improving the rating.
The certificate will be valid for 10 years.
It’s very difficult at present to estimate the overall cost of the certification but it will depend mainly on the size of the building but in
any case a minimum cost of €150 has to be taken into account.
On the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism website http://www.minetur.gob.es it is possible to download the application Calener. It is a program freely available to anyone and can help you to already estimate the efficiency rating of your property.
It’s not a user-friendly application (the target are architects and civil engineers) but many people will find it useful.