Thinking of selling your house? Renting a commercial space? Before you post your ad, you need to get the Energy Certificate, a legally required document that informs new owners or tenants about the energy efficiency of the property in Portugal, pointing out improvement measures to reduce electricity consumption and increase the comfort and well-being of residents.
It is a document issued by the Agency for Energy (ADENE) that certifies the energy efficiency of a property through a thermal study, based on a standard system, which determines the energy classification of the space: from class A+ (best energy performance) to class F (worst energy performance).
Information about the construction characteristics of the property and about energy consumption in different uses, such as window insulation, heating and cooling of the house, ventilation, and production of domestic hot water.
It also indicates improvement measures to save the environment, decrease energy consumption, and increase the comfort and well-being of the residents or users.
In the first place, it serves to assess energy efficiency and to inform the owner or tenant of the property, about the energy performance and possible improvement measures to be implemented.
But the energy certification also serves to obtain tax benefits, since a classification in class "A" can lead to a reduction of up to 25% of the IMI (Municipal Property Tax), IMT (Municipal Property Transfer Tax) exemption, and even access to financing for the execution of works with more competitive conditions. That's not all! A certificate within the "A" classes increases the value of a house, allowing an increase of about 10% in its value in the real estate market.
The energy performance is evaluated according to the building's construction characteristics (orientation, walls, floors, roofs, doors and windows), energy consumption for heating and cooling, domestic hot water preparation, and natural or mechanical ventilation, and also the existence or not of renewable energy use.
The values obtained are calculated per m² of living area and per year, allowing you to compare properties with the reference values in the same category, and if the energy requirements compared to the reference are lower, the energy class is higher!
Only Qualified Experts (QE), qualified by the Energy Agency.
Simply adopt the energy efficiency improvement measures presented by the Qualified Expert, such as: installing double glazing, reinforcing insulation, applying renewable energy systems, or replacing/installing more efficient boilers and water heaters. These measures indicate the expected price and provide an estimate of electricity savings.
In mainland Portugal, the energy certificate is mandatory since 2013 for those who intend to sell or rent a property in these situations:
In addition, you may have to submit energy certification if your city council requests the thermal performance project and respective Declaration of Regulatory Compliance (DCR) or the Energy Performance and Indoor Air Quality Certificate, which is mandatory to obtain the property's use permit.
You may also need to present installation or maintenance manuals for equipment of thermal relevance, such as air conditioning and water heaters, for a better definition of the fraction or building.
The fee charged by ADENE when a new CE is registered is:
T0 and T1 = 28€;
T2 and T3 = 40,50€;
4 and 5 bedrooms = 55€;
T6 + = 65€.
For commercial and services buildings, the price is 135€ for a floor area up to 250m² and 950€, for areas over 5000m².
To these values must be added the VAT rate in force and the cost of the service charged by the expert.
If you decide to sell or rent your house without the respective energy class, you will be subject to fines between 250€ and 3,740€.
In the case of legal entities, the fine ranges from 2,500€ to 44,890€.
The Energy Certificate is valid for 10 years from the date of issue, for residential buildings and small commercial and service spaces.
Large commercial and service buildings have a validity period of up to 6 years for certificates issued before April 30, 2015 and 8 years for certificates issued after that date.
During the mentioned 10 years, the Energy Certificate is transferable by deed.
Now that you know what an Energy Certificate is and what it's for and have even hired a Qualified Expert, you can contact Engel & Völkers Portimão to sell or rent your house!