Energy Efficiency Certificates Spain

The 1st of June 2013 was the date of the introduction of the new mandatory Energy Efficiency Certificate for anyone who wants to sell or rent their property in Spain.

See what it is, what it covers and (most importantly) what the cost will be for you.

What Is The Energy Efficiency Certificate?

All flats and houses built after November 2007 should already have a certificate stating how efficient they are in terms of energy use. However, for those built before that date it will be necessary to contract the services of a professional company that will carry out the study and produce the certificate.

This certificate presents the information graphically via a colour-coded scale from A to G, similar to the labels that you can find on electrical appliances in stores. The certificate will be valid for a period of 10 years, however a homeowner can voluntarily decide to request a new certificate before the 10-year period expires.

Why Do I Need One?

If you want to sell or rent your home then you’ll be requested to provide the certificate. Your home won’t be required to meet a certain standard, but a property that is either very efficient or deficient energetically could have an affect on the price.
By having your certificate early you may be able to take simple steps to improve your properties rating.
This can be something as simple as changing over to low energy light bulbs.
A lower rating DOES NOT stop you selling/renting your property. Not having a certificate does.

If you already have your home up for sale (or rent) you should request the certificate as soon as possible and not wait until you sell or sign a rental agreement. Whether sellers will be required to show they already have the certificate in their ads (online or in newspapers) is unclear at the moment, but it wouldn’t surprise us that in order to get more income local authorities will seize on this to fine those who don’t comply with the requirement.

How Will My Home Be Surveyed?

We can contact a reputable company That operates in your area, as this certificate is totally new then we expect a lot of "cowboy” companies to be offering their services.

First of all a company will request the details of the home,
numero de catastral ( This is normally on your rates IBI Bill ) and check the plans to see the orientation (areas of light and shade).
Once at your home they’ll check what influence adjoining homes exert on yours eg if your flat is on the bottom or top floor this affects heat retention. In general a company will be looking at the cost to heat and cool the home, how much it costs to generate hot water and whether the electrical installation is efficient.

How Much Will It Cost?

The Companies we use will give you a fixed price on the information you supply.
This way you know the price before you buy.
The only reason this should change is if the information. IE. the catastral is not correct and the property is bigger than registered. This is good to know as you will have to get this corrected before you can sell your property.

Additional Points

Even though theoretically all new homes built after 2007 should already have this certificate, some Spanish regions have been negligent in enforcing the legislation and it may be that your home doesn’t have one even if it’s a new build – you’ll have to check.

There will be unscrupulous companies that will offer an energy certificate for a lower price without visiting your home. Apart from the fact that this is not legal, you will probably be given a certificate with a rating far below that which corresponds to your home, thereby negatively affecting the value of your home.

What to do next

Simply email us with the Following information

Full property Address.

Numeral de Catastral ( this is on your rates bills and your escritura. )

The Total Built size of the property.

We will then contact you and advise you of the Cost.

We can then arrange an appointment for the surveyor to come along and do your assessment for the certificate. You do not pay us. Pay the Surveyor on the day.

Select the EEC Application form in the Energy Efficiency Certificate section under the Info tab at the top of the page. Fill in the information and click send.

We will contact your local registered and reputable surveyor. They will provide a price based on the information received. This is with no obligation, you can choose to go ahead or not.

When you choose to go ahead we will make a mutually agreeable appointment time. Convenient to both parties. They will come and do the survey. you pay them at the time of the survey. They will then send the certificate to your postal address if different to the property address.

Need More Info ?

Do not hesitate to contact us for contact details