Older sold houses may be without an energy performance certificate

Prague - When selling or renting buildings constructed before 1947, it may not be necessary to have an energy performance certificate of the building. This is proposed by an amendment to the law presented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO), which the government is set to discuss on Wednesday. According to the proposal, the exemption is mainly set for those family houses where the processing of the certificate is too financially burdensome for the owners. However, written consent from both parties, i.e., the seller or lessor and the buyer or tenant, will be required for the exemption. Since last year, all sold or rented buildings must have an energy performance certificate.
    The Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) disagrees with this part of the amendment, claiming that the proposed provision is in conflict with European directives. Although the directive allows exceptions for certain buildings, such as church buildings or buildings inhabited for up to four months a year, it does not mention the year 1947 anywhere. However, according to the MPO, a similar amendment applies in Slovakia and Brussels has no problem with it. It was agreed during discussions between the MPO and MŽP to keep the provision in conflict, which will be clarified after today’s consultation of the MPO representative with the European Commission.
    In addition to this proposal, the amendment also includes what is known as a cost-benefit analysis to determine the potential for combined heat and power production and the possibilities of utilizing waste heat. This material would need to be prepared by all industrial operations and thermal power plants over 20 MW of thermal input in the case of new construction or significant reconstruction.