Energy Certificates In Portugal

 Energy Certificates In Portugal

As of January 2009, all buildings (new and existing) will require an energy certificate in Portugal. All existing buildings as well as new ones. This will have a great impact on the housing market in the Algarve because without an energy certificate, it will not be possible to rent nor sell a property. The energy certificate will become a legal document along with the other documents required for renting and selling properties.

New Buildings
A new thermal project will need to be issued at planning stage along with the other engineering projects. For some time, there has been a requirement to issue thermal projects but with the new legislation, these projects are far more involved. They need to be carried out by mechanical engineers with specific government qualifications and, like gas and electrical projects, they will need to be certified. The thermal projects are split into 2 categories:
RCCTE – For buildings less than 1000m2 and less than 25KW heating and air conditioning.
RSECE – For buildings greater than 1000 m2 or greater than 25KW heating and air conditioning.
The RCCTE category tends to apply to residential buildings and the RSECE to commercial buildings, but not all the time. Larger houses could fall under the RSECE legislation. The RSECE project is even more involved than the RCCTE one.
Once the thermal project is completed, the energy grade is calculated using specialist software; all new buildings must achieve an A or a B grade to be approved at planning stage.

Existing Buildings
As of January next year, existing buildings will need to be accessed and provided with an Energy Certificate. This will involve a qualified engineer visiting the property and assessing the building in terms of the type of construction (walls, windows, insulation, etc.) and the type of services within heating, air conditioning, solar, etc.). The engineer will then calculate the thermal efficiency of the building and then issue the energy certificate (via the government energy agency, ADENE).
With an existing building, the only legal requirement is to possess an energy certificate. It is not a requirement to achieve a particular grade. The idea though is that those houses with a superior grade will be more attractive to buyers and thus more valuable. There is also talk of introducing tax breaks and tax incentives for higher grade buildings (or increased taxes for lower grade buildings!)
It is therefore anticipated that there will be a surge next year for energy certification as there is a shortage of qualified engineers. It is therefore important to apply early.

Similar Posts:

• Brand New Bargain Villa In Silves
• Algarve Apartment In Carvoeiro
• Property For sale In Albufeira Algarve
• Cheap Townhouses In Carvoeiro For Sale
• Algarve Golden Triangle Bargain Villa

Investment portugal