Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and inspections of heating and cooling systems are important instruments that help improve the energy performance of buildings with a central role in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2010/31/EU).
In its proposal to revise the directive, the Commission addresses several aspects
- quality
- harmonisation (based on a harmonised scale using only letters from A to G and a template )
- accessibility of Energy Performance Certificates
The aim is to make Energy Performance Certificates more reliable, facilitate their use and ensure their availability for all relevant parties. These measures are combined with new provisions on reporting of the independent control systems.
Energy performance certificates
Energy performance certificates provide information to consumers on buildings they plan to purchase or rent. They include an energy performance rating and recommendations for cost-effective improvements.
Certificates must be included in all advertisements in commercial media when a building is put up for sale or rent. They must also be shown to prospective tenants or buyers when a building is being constructed, sold, or rented. After a deal has been concluded, they are handed over to the buyer or new tenant.
Energy Performance Certificates should also disclose cost-effective ways and, where appropriate, available financial instruments to improve the energy performance of the building to the owners or tenants of the buildings.
A study on the impact of energy performance certificates (2014), based on an analysis of residential markets in Europe, found that higher energy savings resulted in substantially higher sale or rental prices on average.
Inspection of heating and air-conditioning systems
EU countries must also put in place schemes for the inspection of heating and air-conditioning systems, or take measures that have an equivalent impact on energy savings.
Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2010/31/EU), all EU countries have established independent control systems for energy performance certificates and inspection reports for heating and cooling systems.
National reports
EU countries produced reports in 2014 on the independent control systems they use for energy performance certificates and on the regular inspection of heating and air-conditioning systems.
Some countries opted for alternative measures to regular inspection regimes of heating and air-conditioning systems.
The previous reports (2011) are available here part1 | part2
Documents
- Study on the voluntary common EU certification scheme for non-residential buildings (November 2014)
- Report: Energy performance certificates in buildings and their impact on transaction prices and rents in selected EU countries (April 2013)
- Consolidated version of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2010/31/EU)