Romanian Govt Postpones Talk On Mandatory Energy Certification For Buildings

"The Government has postponed a decision to make energy certification for buildings mandatory because the system entails certain procedures that are not yet clearly established and the number of available auditors is too low. The talk might continue next week," the sources said.

The law on energy certification states that an energy certificate is required for any for all real estate transactions. The certificate tells the prospective buyer or tenant about the apartment's energetic efficiency, expressed generally through the total yearly energy consumption, in kilowatts per hour per square meter, integrating it into an energetic class (from the A- high-efficiency class to the G- low efficiency class).

The law was supposed to become effective on January 1, 2010, but the Government decided in December to postpone it for January next year after notaries warned mandatory certification would lead to 5% to 10% price hikes for old buildings and would block the country's real estate market.

Most buildings in Romania fall into the C and D efficiency classes, with annual energy consumption of over 200 kilowatts per square meter. According to an emergency decree passed last year, the government targets annual energy consumption at less than 100 kilowatts per square meter.

Energy certificates are valid for ten years and are issued by certified energy auditors.

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