Energy certificate vs. purchase price

The impact of a poor energy efficiency rating on property value is significant. An unfavorable energy efficiency rating can reduce the value of the property, deter potential buyers and tenants and even increase the cost of obtaining an energy performance certificate.

A glance at the color scale from green to red is enough to get an overview of a property's energy consumption. Before a property is sold or rented out, an energy performance certificate is required to provide information on the energy status of the building. This should give interested parties an insight into expected consumption values and the associated costs.

The introduction of the energy performance certificate requirement in 2007 was aimed at making the operation of buildings more energy-efficient overall and achieving the climate targets for 2030. According to the Federal Environment Agency, the building stock accounts for around 35 percent of final energy consumption and around 30 percent of CO2 emissions in Germany.

Since the introduction of mandatory certification, the importance of a building's energy efficiency has steadily increased in both purchasing and rental decisions.

Note the differences in energy performance certificates

It's not surprising that the Energy Performance Certificate has an impact, as it allows people to compare the energy performance of properties with each other. The practical color scale ranges from A+, which stands for very energy efficient, to H, which stands for not energy efficient. The certificates also contain recommendations for measures that could make the building more energy efficient, such as replacing windows or insulating the roof, attic or exterior walls. As a rule, a person who has the choice will opt for the more economical property and not the energy guzzler.

However, there is a limitation in terms of comparability: there are two variants of energy performance certificates, namely the energy demand certificate and the energy consumption certificate. As the names suggest, the energy requirement is calculated using different data and methods, which means that the results are ultimately not directly comparable with each other.

'The energy requirement certificate shows the theoretical energy requirement of the building,' explains Christoph Barniske, who is responsible for offering energy certificates at ImmoScout24. 'This is made up of various factors such as thermal insulation, heating technology and construction method.'

The consumption certificate, on the other hand, provides information on the actual energy consumption of the residents based on the average energy consumption of the past three years. 'The heating and ancillary cost bills for this period serve as the data source,' explains the expert. To ensure, for example, that particularly cold or mild winters do not distort the assessment of a building, the consumption figures determined are converted to a Germany-wide average using climate factors. One disadvantage is that the characteristic values can vary depending on the heating and ventilation behavior of the users and the times they are present in the building.

Beware of black sheep

While consumption certificates only require documents on energy consumption over the past three years, issuers of demand certificates require more extensive information on the building, which they use to calculate the energy requirement, explains Barniske. This leads to higher costs for demand certificates compared to consumption certificates. Consumption certificates are available for less than 100 euros, while demand certificates can cost several hundred euros. The costs are determined by the size of the building and the complexity of the work involved. If various building components have to be recorded and extensive building documents are required, the costs for the owner increase significantly.

However, owners should not be dazzled by particularly cheap offers on the Internet, neither for the demand nor for the consumption certificate. Online portals are also used by dubious providers whose main aim is to make a quick buck. It is advisable for owners to check whether the online provider is actually authorized to issue energy certificates.

A trustworthy point of contact for finding a qualified energy consultant is, for example, the list of the German Energy Agency (DENA). The energy consultants listed there are authorized to issue energy certificates and are regularly checked for their qualifications. The consumer advice center also recommends that owners obtain written confirmation of their authorization from certificate issuers.

Purchase prices up to 50% lower with poor energy values

Finally, what is stated in the energy performance certificate has a direct influence on the value of a property. A study by Immoscout24 shows that the poorer the energy condition of a property, the greater the price reductions - especially in rural areas compared to metropolitan areas and large cities.

In metropolitan areas, the price reduction for properties with energy class B compared to energy class A is 5 percent on average and for energy class C it is already 19 percent. In rural areas, asking prices for properties with energy classes F, G and H are around 41 to 51 percent cheaper than for properties with energy class A. This underlines the increasing profitability of refurbishment measures more than ever.

Source: Capital

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