Energy Performance Certificates
- Introduction
- The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
- Implementation of the Directive
- Further Information
Introduction
The European Commission's Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (2000) indicated the need for specific measures in the building sector: it is estimated that 40% of final energy consumption in the European Community occurs in buildings. EC research has indicated that by improving energy efficiency carbon emissions from buildings could be reduced by 22%. In order to achieve this the Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings was published by the Commission in May 2001.
Article 7 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive makes it a requirement that an Energy Performance Certificate must be made available whenever a building is constructed, rented or sold.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
The European Parliament and the Council signed the agreed text of the directive at Energy Council on 25 November 2002. The Directive became European Law upon its publication in the EU Official Journal on 4 January 2003.
The principal objectives of the Directive are:
- To promote the improvement of the energy performance of buildings within the European Union through cost effective measures
- To promote the convergence of building standards towards those of Member States which already have ambitious levels
The Measures include:
- Methodology for calculating the energy performance of buildings
- Application of performance standards on new and existing buildings
- Certification schemes for all buildings
- Regular inspection and assessment of boilers / heating and cooling installations
Implementation of the Directive
The Directive must be implemented by all member states within 36 months of becoming law, i.e by January 2006, however Member States do have an additional three year period to apply the provisions of the following articles:
- Article 7: Energy Performance Certificates
- Article 8: Inspection of Boilers
- Article 9: Inspection of Air Conditioning Systems
This is to enable Member States to develop suitable energy rating systems and certification schemes for all buildings that fall within the scope of the Directive as well as to allow sufficient time for the training and accreditation of sufficient personnel to undertake the energy performance assessments.
The final date for implementation was therefore 4 January 2009.
Further information
A sample Energy Performance Certificate is located in the attached files section below.
| Filename | Filetype | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Sample Energy Performance Certificate | 118.53 KB |