The ministry is ready to regulate the prices of energy labels

Prague - The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) is prepared to regulate the fee for issuing Energy Performance Certificates (PENB) in case of unfavorable developments. Currently, there is no regulation determining its amount. Tomáš Gebauer from the MPO's Communication and Marketing Department told ČTK this.
     "For now, it entirely depends on market prices," Gebauer responded to a question about whether a maximum fee for issuing an energy label has been set. "However, we are monitoring the situation, and if there were to be an unfavorable development, we are prepared to regulate the price for processing the PENB," Gebauer acknowledged possible interventions in pricing.
     For example, the owner of a family house with a floor area of up to 150 square meters currently pays at least 4500 crowns for issuing an energy label. The price increases with the size or more complex design of the building.
     Only energy experts registered with the MPO have the authority to issue PENB. Currently, there are more than a thousand of them, and the number is still increasing. "The list of energy specialists maintained by the MPO has slightly over a thousand individuals authorized to process energy performance certificates for buildings. However, there is significant interest in the authorization, so this number is gradually increasing," Gebauer noted.
     A high number of people authorized to issue energy labels may, according to industry experts, lead to a price war and a decrease in costs. "The market will not be able to absorb such capacity in the long term. Sooner or later, there will necessarily be various disputes over the price of the label, undercutting customers, or consolidating multiple individuals into a single entity," predicted Luděk Lošťák, the director of Comfort Space, a company involved in issuing labels.
     The ministry refers dissatisfied customers with the work of an energy expert to the State Energy Inspection, where they should submit any complaints. "The MPO can revoke the authorization to perform activities and remove the individual from the list of energy specialists in case of violations of obligations arising for the energy specialist from the Energy Management Act," Gebauer added.
     The Energy Performance Certificate must be held by all public buildings with a total area exceeding 500 square meters since July 1 of this year. From July 1, 2015, this obligation will also apply to state buildings larger than 250 square meters.
     However, energy labels have been mandatory since January 1 for all new buildings or during renovations and sales of apartments. Builders, property owners, or homeowners' associations are responsible for providing them. In the case of leasing parts of buildings, the new obligation will apply starting in 2016. Existing buildings are to obtain labels gradually from 2015 to 2019, according to the legally prescribed area.