Energy certificate in Poland

An energy efficiency certificate is a document that contains information about the energy needs of a given facility for heating, ventilation, cooling and hot water preparation. The document also provides recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of a building, which will help reduce energy requirements and thus contribute to lower costs and greater environmental friendliness. The obligation to have an energy efficiency certificate was introduced on April 28, 2023.

The information contained in the document allows you to roughly calculate the annual energy requirement and find out the cost of energy use. The data is presented in the form of an energy class, which determines the amount of energy required to maintain an appropriate temperature in a building.

The information contained in the document allows you to roughly calculate the annual energy requirement and find out the cost of energy use. The data is presented in the form of an energy class, which determines the amount of energy required to maintain an appropriate temperature in a building.

The energy certificate contains data about the property, such as the type and purpose of the building, address, year of commissioning, method of determining energy efficiency, area of heated or cooled premises and total usable area.

Additionally, when assessing the energy efficiency of a building, the following are taken into account:

• indicator of annual useful energy demand (EU),

• indicator of annual final energy demand (EC),

• index of annual demand for non-renewable primary energy (EP),

• specific amount of CO2 emissions,

• share of renewable energy sources in annual energy demand.

The obligation to prepare an energy performance certificate is aimed at promoting energy efficient construction. It is also important to raise awareness of solutions that can be used in buildings to reduce energy costs and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

When is an energy certificate required?

Previously, a certificate was required only for buildings built after 2009, however, the rules introduced in April 2023 extended to buildings built earlier.

An energy certificate is mandatory for both the sale and rental of real estate, so owners of apartments and houses, as well as building managers, must provide such a document to the buyer or tenant. If the sale or lease concerns the entire property, an energy certificate must be prepared for the building, and if the sale or lease concerns a premises, then an energy certificate must be prepared for that part of the building.

In turn, the investor is obliged to attach such a certificate to the notice of completion of construction of the building or to the application for a permit to put it into operation.

  The issue of an energy certificate can be ordered by:

• owner or property manager,

• a person who has the right of cooperative ownership of the premises,

• a person who has the right of a cooperative tenant to the premises,

• investor.

A certificate is not required for real estate that is intended for personal use and is not intended to be sold or rented.

In what form can the certificate be submitted?

According to information on the gov.pl website, the energy efficiency certificate can be issued both in paper and electronic form.

1. Paper form - the document must be provided with the number indicated in the central register of energy performance of buildings and the personal signature of an authorized person.

2. Electronic form - the document must be provided with a number assigned in the central register of energy performance of buildings, as well as a qualified electronic signature, trusted signature or personal signature of an authorized person.

Information about whether the certificate was issued will be indicated in the notarial deed. If the document is not delivered, the notary must instruct the obligated person to fulfill this obligation.

It is important to note that neither the tenant nor the buyer of the property can waive the right to receive an energy certificate.

How much does an energy efficiency certificate cost?

The cost of an energy efficiency certificate is affected by both the type of property and its location. When determining the cost of a document, important factors include the size of the building, the internal installations used, as well as existing technical documentation.

The location of the property is also important - you will have to pay more for paperwork for a building located in a big city, while it will be cheaper in small towns. In addition, if the certificate is for a house, the cost will be higher than for an apartment. A document for an apartment costs on average about 400 zlotys, and for a house - about 500 zlotys. The cost of obtaining a certificate for an apartment building will cost the most - more than a thousand zlotys.

How long is an energy certificate valid?

The energy certificate is valid for 10 years from the date of its issue. However, it should be remembered that the document may lose force before the expiration of this period if, at the same time, construction and installation work is carried out that will affect the existing energy characteristics of the building or its parts. This includes, but is not limited to, replacing windows, insulating the building, or replacing the heat source.

What is the penalty for not having a document?

Apartment owners who do not comply with current legislation and do not present an energy certificate when selling or renting real estate will have to pay a fine of up to 5 thousand zlotys. The fine may also apply to individuals and legal entities that issued an energy certificate based on false data.

The list of persons authorized to draw up an energy efficiency passport is available on the website of the Ministry of Development and Technology.

You can see current trends in housing construction in Poland, including increasing energy efficiency, here: https://okeask.com/en/category/poleznaya-informaciya/1702905178-current-trends-in-housing-construction-in-poland

Materials used from the site obido.pl