Who pays for the energy certificate?

In an existing housing company (asunto-osakeyhtiö, taloyhtiö), the energy performance certificate (energiatodistus) is paid for by the housing company. In an existing detached house, the energy certificate is paid for by the owner of the house. The responsibility for obtaining a building’s energy certificate lies with the owner of the building. If responsibility for maintaining the building lies with its holder (haltija), the responsibility for obtaining the energy certificate also lies with the holder. When obtaining an energy certificate, it may make sense for a housing company to also order an energy efficiency survey from our energy consulting company. Preparing the energy efficiency survey and the energy certificate at the same time brings cost savings, as there is less overlapping work. In the energy efficiency survey we identify the most financially viable ways to reduce the building’s energy consumption, on the basis of which the housing company can decide whether to go ahead with energy efficiency investments.

When is an energy certificate needed?

An energy certificate is needed in new construction for the building permit, and in existing buildings when they are rented out or sold.

When is an energy certificate not needed?

An energy certificate is not needed in every case. Different building types also have different E-value (E-luku) limits for the different energy efficiency classes. An energy certificate is not needed if any of the following applies:

• The building’s floor area is at most 50 m²
• The building is intended for holiday use and is not used for running an accommodation business
• The building is temporary or fixed-term, with a period of use of less than 2 years
• The building is an industrial or repair workshop building
• The building is a farm building intended for other than residential use, in which the energy demand is low or which is used in a sector covered by a national sector-specific energy efficiency agreement
• The building is used for religious activities and worship.
• The building is protected under the Act on the Protection of the Built Heritage (laki rakennusperinnön suojelemisesta, 498/2010) or, for example, under a protection order in a land use plan.
• The building is used by the defence administration and its use involves, or it is connected with, classified information.

What is an energy certificate?

An energy certificate is a certificate of a building’s energy efficiency, and preparing one requires the qualification of an energy certificate assessor. Its most important piece of information is the E-value, which indicates the building’s theoretical energy consumption, weighted with energy carrier factors, per square metre of heated net floor area (lämmitetty nettoala). The energy certificate also shows the input data used in calculating the E-value, as well as general information about the building.