Energy Performance Certificates for New and Existing Buildings; Information

The energy performance certificate provides information about the energy efficiency of a building (residential or non-residential). It is intended to create greater transparency in the real estate market and provide additional incentives to more fully realize the significant energy-saving potential that exists in the existing building stock. Energy-efficiency retrofits and renovations can not only significantly reduce heating costs but also make a major contribution to climate protection. 

The Building Modernization Act (GModEG) (formerly the Building Energy Act (GEG) and the Energy Conservation Ordinance (EnEV)) generally provides for two types of energy performance certificates for existing buildings: the energy demand certificate and the energy consumption certificate. Which one must be issued depends on the building’s use, its usable floor area or the number of apartments, the date the building permit application was filed, and the building’s energy performance.

Energy performance certificates must be registered with the German Institute for Building Technology and are valid for ten years (Section 79(3) GModG). After that, they must be reissued. Energy performance certificates also lose their validity if a building is fundamentally modernized or expanded and, in the process, the total primary energy demand is documented.

Pursuant to § 88(1) GModG, only a person who

• is authorized under the building codes of the federal states to sign technical certifications regarding thermal insulation or energy conservation in the construction of buildings, within the scope of the respective certification authorization (Section 88(1)(1) GModG),
• has obtained a professionally qualifying university degree in one of the following fields: architecture, interior design, structural engineering, civil engineering, building services engineering, physics, building physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or another technical or scientific discipline with a focus on the aforementioned fields (Section 88(1)(2) GModG),
• meets the requirements for registration in the craft trades register for a construction, finishing, or building services trade requiring a license, or for the chimney sweep trade (“fields”), has obtained a master craftsman’s certificate for a trade not requiring a license in one of the aforementioned areas, or who, based on their training, is authorized to independently practice a trade requiring a license in one of the above-mentioned areas without a master craftsman’s certificate (Section 88(1)(3) GModG), 
• is a state-recognized or certified technician whose training also focuses on the assessment of the building envelope, the assessment of heating and hot water systems, or the assessment of ventilation and air conditioning systems (Section 88(1)(4) GModG); or
• is authorized under the regulations of the federal states to issue the declaration of compliance pursuant to § 92 GModG (§ 88(1)(5) GModG).

A prerequisite for the authorization to issue a declaration pursuant to Section 88(1)(2) through (4) of the GModG is also an additional qualification pursuant to Section 88(2) of the GModG, namely (exhaustive list)

• a training focus in the field of energy-efficient construction or at least two years of professional experience in key areas of building or facilities engineering in building construction,
• successful completion of training in energy-efficient construction pursuant to Annex 11 of the GModG, with a distinction made between authorization for residential and non-residential buildings, or
• public appointment as a sworn expert.

In addition, Section 113 of the GModG contains transitional provisions for issuers of energy performance certificates.

You can find more information on energy performance certificates under “Related Links.”

The district administrative authorities or lower-level building inspection authorities in Bavaria answer general questions regarding energy-efficient renovation and trained local energy consultants.