Want to make your home more sustainable? An energy performance certificate gives insight into your home’s energy score and tells you where you are losing the most energy. It is therefore the perfect place to begin your quest for a sustainable home.
An energy performance certificate (link to page in Dutch) or EPC is a certificate showing the energy performance of your home. An EPC contains an energy score and an energy label, which show how energy efficient your home is.
In addition, each energy performance certificate contains tips and recommendations on making your home more energy efficient, which is really handy if you are keen to make your home more sustainable.
By the way, did you know that vendors and landlords are obliged to supply an energy performance certificate to any prospective buyer or tenant? This immediately gives potential buyers or tenants a good insight into the energy performance of the property and the potential costs that this entails.
The energy score in an EPC is calculated based on the energy that the building consumes on an annual basis. In the process, we look mainly at the composition and floor areas of the design.
To calculate the energy score we take the following parameters into account:
- the protected volume that has to be provided with energy
- the usable floor area
- the heating system, including optimisation measures, such as pipe insulation
- the heating system for the hot water supply
- the cooling system
- insulation of roof, walls, windows, floors, ceiling, etc.
- energy from cogeneration or photovoltaic cells
- other energy-saving measures
The final energy score expresses the typical primary energy consumption per m2 of usable floor space. The lower the value, the more energy efficient the building.
Only an accredited energy expert can draw up an energy performance certificate. For that, he has to come and inspect the building in person. He will draw up the EPC using the certification software and sign it for approval. It takes about half a day to draw up an EPC.
To draw up the energy performance certificate, the energy expert must inform the owner about the documentary evidence that is needed for him to be able to complete this task.
In addition to an energy performance certificate you can also have an accredited energy expert carry out an energy audit. An energy audit gives you detailed energy saving recommendations, tailored to your needs, on how you can save energy in your home.
Unlike an EPC, an energy audit is not a mandatory document (unless you want to apply for insulation premiums in Wallonia). When you sell or let a house, an energy performance certificate is mandatory.
Want to make your home more sustainable? If so, an EPC offers you a host of benefits:
- You find out immediately how energy efficient your home is currently.
- You gain insight into which areas of your home consume the most energy.
- You receive general tips on how to make your home more energy efficient
- An energy performance certificate is valid for ten years. If you are planning to sell your home within ten years, you already have the mandatory EPC to hand.
A new build EPC indicates that the building meets the EPB requirements (Energy Performance and Interior Climate, link to page in Dutch).
An EPC for house sales or lettings indicates how energy efficient the property is, and is mandatory from the moment a property is put up for sale or to let.
In Flanders, an EPC is issued by an energy expert type A (link to page in Dutch) accredited by the Flemish Energy Agency.
EPC obligations in Flanders:
- Mandatory for sales of residential properties since 1 November 2011.
- Mandatory for lettings of residential properties since 1 January 2009.
- Mandatory for new build offices, schools and residential properties since 1 January 2006.
From 2020, two new energy performance certificates are being introduced:
- EPC for small non-residential properties: mandatory from 2020 for sales and lettings.
- EPC for the communal areas of an apartment building: mandatory from 2022 for buildings with at least two residential units.
More information at http://www.energiesparen.be/epc (link to page in Dutch)
The EPC indicates that the building (or part of a building) meets the PEB requirements (Performance Énergétique des Bâtiments or Energy Performance of Buildings, link to page in French). With every new build, the energy performance certificate is given to the owner.
The EPC allows buyers and tenants to compare and weigh up the energy quality of the properties on the market.
In Wallonia, EPCs are issued by the 'Département de l'Energie et du Bâtiment durable' of the 'Direction générale opérationnelle Aménagement du territoire, Logement, Patrimoine et Énergie' of the Wallonian government.
EPC obligations in Wallonia:
- Mandatory for sales of all residential properties since 1 January 2011.
- Mandatory for lettings of residential properties since 1 June 2011.
More information on www.energie.wallonie.be (link to page in French).
The EPC indicates that the building (or part of a building) meets the PEB requirements (Performance Énergétique des Bâtiments or Energy Performance of Buildings, link to page in French). With every new build, the energy performance certificate is given to the owner.
The EPC allows buyers and tenants to compare and weigh up the energy quality of the properties on the market.
Only EPC experts (EPB certifiers) who are accredited by Brussels Environment may draw up EPCs in Brussels.
EPC obligations in Brussels:
- Mandatory for sales of houses and apartments plus offices of more than 500m2 since 1 May 2011.
- Mandatory for lettings of houses and apartments plus offices of more than 500ms2 since 1 November 2011.
- Mandatory for sales or lettings of tertiary properties since 1 January 2013.
More information at www.leefmilieu.brussels (link to page in Dutch).
> Want to know more about renovating sustainably? Please read all our articles on sustainable living.
> Also find out how loans from ING can help finance your sustainable renovation project.