Energy Certificate

The purpose of directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament concerning energy efficiency of buildings, is to build exclusively low-energy houses (Classification A) in the future.

These are buildings with the highest energy efficiency and extremely low energy consumption. The almost zero or very low energy requirement should be covered almost exclusively by renewable energy sources, which, ideally, will be located on-site or at a nearby location.

STARTING DECEMBER 31, 2020 (*), ALL NEW BUILDINGS MUST BE LOW-ENERGY BUILDINGS. (Classification A)

(*) New buildings owned and used by public authorities must meet this requirement starting 31 December 2018.

To implement this EUROPEAN DIRECTIVE 2010/31/EU CONCERNING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, Royal Decree 235/2013 of 5th April on the certification of the energy efficiency of buildings, has been adopted, which establishes the basic procedure about the creation of these certificates.

(Official Spanish law gazette)

From June 1st 2013 onwards, a certificate of energy efficiency must be delivered to the future owner or tenant for the construction, sale or lease of a building, which has been compiled according to the basic procedure.

With the Royal Decree, directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and the Council on Energy Efficiency of Buildings is implemented into Spanish Law as of May 19th 2010.

 

New buildings

Existing buildings or parts of buildings, when they are rented or sold and there is no valid energy efficiency certificate. Buildings or parts of buildings, of which at least 250m² are used by an authority and which regularly have public business.

 

Exceptions: 

  • Buildings that are officially protected
  • Buildings, or parts of buildings, used for worship or other religious purposes
  • Provisional buildings with a maximum operating life of 2 years
  • Industrial buildings, buildings used for defence, agriculturally used buildings and workshops
  • Freestanding buildings, or parts of buildings, with a maximum total usage area of 50m²
  • Buildings which are purchased for redevelopment or demolition
  • Buildings, or parts of buildings, which are used a maximum of 4 months per year for residential purposes, or those which are used for residential purposes for a limited period of time, where the energy consumption must then be at least 25% below the energy consumption that would be estimated for a full year; in which case this would have to be insured by the owner of the property

 

Certificate on the energy efficiency of buildings

The developer or owner of the new or already existing building, or part of the building, has to, if necessary according to the regulations, order the relevant energy efficiency certificate and to keep the corresponding documents. The energy efficiency certificate for multi-unit buildings can be as follows:

  • A certificate for the whole building
  • A certificate for one or more residential or business units of the same building, provided they have the same characteristics
  • Unused stores, which aren’t defined in the building’s construction project, must show the certificate only at the time of commissioning, in case of using the store industrially, the certification of energy efficiency is no longer mandatory
  • The energy efficiency certificate has a validity period of 10 years

 

Frequently asked questions

1. Can the certificate be refused? Can a building being proofed for energy efficiency fail?

No. Each building receives its specific certificate of energy efficiency.

2. Can I be forced to do refurbishment works on the basis of this certificate?

No. The certificate only provides advice on how to improve energy efficiency and achieve a better classification. In no case does it force you to do refurbishment works.

3. Why must such a certificate be given into order?

The Royal Decree 235/2013 obliges to this certification on energy efficiency of buildings from June 1st 2013 on.

4. What does the classification mean?

The range covers the classes G to A. New buildings must all have classification A (low-energy buildings) from 2020 onwards. As already the case with the classification of energy efficiency of electrical appliances, the aim is to raise people’s awareness of the energy efficiency of buildings and encourage an improvement through more transparency and the resulting competition.