New buildings must have an energy performance certificate from January

Prague - Starting from January of next year, builders and property owners will have a new obligation. They will have to ensure the so-called energy performance certificate for buildings. This requirement applies to all new structures or renovations of buildings with a floor area over 1000 square meters that will affect the energy efficiency of the building.
    People will find information on the energy performance of the building from the certificate. Prospective buyers of such properties will learn about the additional payments and possible investments related to the use of the building they can expect. Home or apartment owners should be encouraged by the regulation to adopt an ecological approach, and construction companies to use energy-saving technologies.
    In buildings over 1000 square meters designated for public services, such as schools, public administration buildings, or stores, the graphical part of the certificate must be displayed in a publicly accessible place. Certificates are being introduced across the European Union.
    The document will allow estimating the monthly heating costs for an apartment. Those with the least energy demand will be labeled class A, while those with the highest demand will fall into class G. The lower the class, the lower the price of the apartment could be.
    To issue the certificate, it will be necessary to conduct an energy audit of the building in addition to the existing design activities. However, builders do not anticipate that this will result in a significant increase in costs. The cost of the audit ranges in the tens of thousands of crowns.
    The introduction of the EU regulation could, according to experts, shake up the real estate market. The prices of houses that will not be insulated may drop significantly. In countries where energy certificates have been introduced, such as Denmark, Sweden, Britain, or France, the real estate market reacted quickly. Prices of uninsulated houses fell by ten to 20 percent.
    For commercial properties, experts believe the new standard may affect rental prices. Buildings that have higher operating costs due to higher energy demand should offer lower rents to remain competitive.