Energy certification of buildings
Royal Decree 390/2021, of 1 June, which approves the basic procedure for the certification of the energy performance of buildings, establishes the obligation to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that provides objective information on the energy characteristics of buildings: thermal capacity, insulation, heating, DHW and cooling installations, thermal bridges, renewable energy installations, etc.
EPCs make it possible to compare the energy performance of buildings in order to encourage the promotion of energy-efficient buildings and investments in energy saving.
In general, according to Royal Decree 390/2021, an EPC is required in the following cases:
- All existing buildings, or parts of buildings, that are sold or leased or that are subject to a mandatory technical building inspection.
- New buildings or buildings to be refurbished.
- Buildings occupied by the public administration.
- Buildings or parts of buildings of more than 500 m2 for various uses: health, education, commercial, cultural, sports, restaurants, accommodation, etc.
In addition, the Royal Decree requires that the EPC be registered in the Official Registry of the Autonomous Community in which the property is located. This registration must be carried out by the technician who carried out the certification, requires the authorisation of the owner of the property and may involve the payment of official fees, which vary from one Autonomous Community to another.
Developments in energy certification
Royal Decree 390/2021 introduces some new features with respect to the one it replaces (RD 235/2013) that must be taken into account by property owners and managers. Basically, the scope of application is extended to new cases, in which an energy performance certificate will be mandatory:
- Buildings or parts of buildings where renovation work is carried out to replace or renovate thermal installations, or where more than 25% of the surface area of the thermal envelope is to be altered, or where more than 10% of the built surface area of the building is to be enlarged. This includes all cases in which an energy renovation is to be carried out and financial aid is to be applied for, for which the regulations require a certificate to be drawn up before and after the renovation in order to assess the improvement in energy performance achieved.
- Buildings or parts of buildings with a total useful floor area of more than 500 m2 for a wide range of uses, such as administration, health, commerce, tourism, education, culture, leisure, catering, sport, places of worship, transport stations, etc. These buildings must also display the energy performance label in a visible place. This is an important innovation, as under the previous legislation the property had to be intended for sale or rent, or occupied by a public authority. It also includes uses that were previously excluded, such as places of worship or private property intended as tourist flats and which are used less than 4 months a year.
- Buildings subject to mandatory Technical Building Inspection (I.T.E.) or equivalent inspection, such as the Building Assessment Report. In Madrid, for example, all buildings have to pass the I.T.E. every 10 years once they have reached 40 years of age.
In general, industrial buildings, isolated buildings with a surface area of less than 50 m2 and temporary buildings with an expected life of less than 2 years are still excluded.
There is also a change in the period of validity of the certificates, although the general rule is still 10 years, for buildings with a lower rating, i.e. letter G, it will only be 5 years.
