Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) adopted on 27 September 2006 amendments in Building Act which are published in State Gazette (Riigi Teataja) on 12 October 2006  (RT I 2006, 43, 326).  

•         These amendments provide that from the beginning of 2009 should sellers of houses or parts of houses and lessors of apartments (cottages) to present before signing an agreement an energy efficiency label. From the same date all non-residential buildings with area over 1000 m² should also have an energy label.

These amendments were made due to requirements of EU’s Energy efficiency directive which provides that when somebody is selling a house or an apartment should seller present energy label (energy certificate) at the moment when parties are signing an agreement at the public notary.

This requirement has adopted in the interests of buyer because when acquiring a real estate should new owner know an energy need of new resident and how much one should pay for heat and other energy.

 

What is energy label ?

• Energy label is summary from energy audit
• With energy label will common consumer get on simple and understandable information what is yearly average energy consumption in this apartment (house)
• At the same time consumer will get an idea how much should one pay for energy and heat in new, intended to acquire room
• Properly done energy audit is reflected in energy label what is a good background information in making financial plan to improve dwelling house (look Apartment Ownership Act § 22)
• Energy label could be issued to the whole house or only to the part of house  depending what is an object of sales-purchase
• Energy label will be obligatory to bigger non-residential buildings (over 1000 m² )
• Energy label is valid 10 years but f house or apartment is improved and energy consumption is lowered, could be wise to order new energy classification (label)

Building act §3 subsection 1 defines an energy label as a document which purpose is to give an information how big is energy consumption guaranteed by inner climate compared to average energy consumption of equal buildings. In energy label is indicated actual or assumed yearly energy consumption of building or its part guaranteed by inner climate. Energy consumption could include energy amount what is used for heating, cooling, warming of water, ventilating and for lightening. A list of financially justified measures to reduce room’s energy consumption is attached to energy label. 

 

Why energy label is necessary ?

If people are buying real estate they have right to know how big will be operating and maintenance costs.

One can treat an energy label as a compact energy audit where is summarized the most essential information about energy performance of this building. It is assumed that this label includes data about energy consumption in this house (apartment) but also data to compare energy consumption in other buildings and to assess how to improve energy consumption. Also data about inner climate of building should be reflected in energy label.

In ideal should every house, apartment or room, have in future energy label in Estonia . This aim couldn’t be seen as an unpleasant duty but a pretty chance to get useful information how big is energy consumption. This is useful both for present and future owner of real estate.

The better are buildings energy conditions or the higher is energy efficiency class, the higher is assessed a value of real estate.

 

Getting Energy label procedure

1. Buyer expresses a wish to get an energy label of real estate he/she intends to buy 

2. Member of apartment association (later KÜ, korteriühistu)  applies to board of this apartment association to order energy label for this house

3. KÜ’s board will order an energy label from company which is accredited to issue these documents

NB! if board hasn’t ordered it during the period foreseen in law (1 month), could energy label be ordered by seller 

• as far ordering an energy label is financial cost of association (Apartment Ownership Act §151 subsection 1), the seller has right to demand from board to cover costs of ordering an energy label by association

4. Company issuing an energy label:

• obtains data about energy consumption from KÜ – (possible sources book keeping, guidance document of financial year) and/ or from seller of energy

• obtains data about building (for example from EHR (building register) – effective area)

• makes calculations of energy consumption corrected with gradedays (this is an average inner room temperature which is decreased by actual

daily 24 h average temperature due to heat radiation of people, home electronics, etc.) and determines a building’s energy class

• will gather a survey data about details which could significantly influence an energy class (inner climate, what is the room’s using rate, etc)

• compiles general recommendations how to improve energy efficiency in the building

5. delivers an energy label to the client

6. KÜ’s board divides an energy labels to all apartment’s owners

 

To what more one should pay attention

• energy label could be issued by especially accredited companies [§ 31 subsection 2] or a company making construction examinations [§ 72²] 

• energy label is based generally to the data of energy consumption

• new buildings should order an energy label at the latest during building’s guarantee period [§ 31 subsection 3]

• energy labels has to be ordered also to guarantee inner climate in bigger non-residential buildings with effective area over 1000 m2