Survey finds awareness of Energy Performance Certificates on the rise

Close to 80 percent of all Germans are familiar with the Energy Performance Certificate, introduced around five years ago, which attests to the energy quality of buildings. This is the result of a representative Forsa survey commissioned by the Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena) – the German Energy Agency.* As few as one-fifth of the respondents had not heard of the certificate. In a similar dena survey conducted in the year 2008, the proportion of respondents familiar with the Energy Performance Certificate was 70 percent.

Majority considers the Energy Performance Certificate useful
The majority (around 90 percent) of those who are familiar with the certificate consider it useful for assessing a property’s energy costs. Eight out of ten respondents also knew that prospective buyers or tenants are legally entitled to inspect the building’s certificate. Five years ago, only two-thirds of the respondents (68 percent) had known this.

Certificate often unavailable at viewings
However, in terms of the actual availability of the certificate, the situation could be better. As few as 26 percent of the prospective tenants and buyers who viewed a property in the last three years reported that they had been given the opportunity to inspect the Energy Performance Certificate. Close to three-quarters stated that the certificate had not been available. This situation is being addressed in the current amendment process pertaining to the German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV). According to the latest draft, submission of the Energy Performance Certificate at viewings will be mandatory as of 2014.

The Energy Performance Certificate pinpoints the condition of buildings on a colour scale ranging from green (energy efficient) to red (high energy consumption). It also includes proposals for concrete modernisation work that will reduce energy consumption. Energy Performance Certificates are required for all new buildings. Owners of existing buildings require the document when letting, leasing or selling buildings or parts thereof.

Further information on the Energy Performance Certificate is available at www.zukunft-haus.info/energieausweis.

* In the context of the survey, three different groups of respondents were surveyed in November and December 2012. The first group consisted of a representative population sample of 1,000 adults over 18. The second group comprised 1,000 prospective buyers/tenants who had viewed a property in the last three years and the third group consisted of 1,000 occupants of buildings that had been refurbished to increase energy efficiency since 2009. Further background information on the survey is available at www.zukunft-haus.info/presse.