Energy Performance Certificate in Catalonia

The European Directives 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency and 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings state that all buildings – existing or new – subject to real-estate transactions must obtain an energy performance certificate (EPC).

In Catalonia, from the 1st of November 2007, new buildings must have an energy performance certificate and, from the 1st of June 2013, this is also mandatory for existing buildings and homes to be rented or sold. At the same time, buildings occupied by a public authority with more than 250 m2 and usually frequented must also have an energy performance certificate.

Different types of buildings coexist in Catalonia, depending on the construction regulations approved and applied over the years. Before 1981, there was no specific regulation on the thermal envelope of buildings. Today, a buildings regulation requires to use materials and techniques that contribute to energy savings and introduces the obligation to use renewable energy sources.

ICAEN is the body in charge of the energy performance certification of buildings in Catalonia. From 2007 to June 2020, ICAEN has managed 1,079,168 building certificates, sending the corresponding labels. Of the more than 1 million certificates available, only about 1.7 % correspond to the A and B labels, while the vast majority, more than 50%, correspond to the E label. Most of the building stock is thus old and would need energy rehabilitation. For this reason, ICAEN provides a report entitled “Building Energy Expenditure” in addition to the official certification label. This report shows how much energy consumption and economic costs could decrease in a home or building.

In addition, ICAEN makes EPC information publicly available via three different ways:

• By using a certificate search engine you can download the energy performance label of any building enrolled in the register. This allows you to search by address, procedure code or cadastral reference.
• By using interactive maps allowing you to locate the certificates available for homes, buildings and the service sector. This tool is used to search for a certificate according to the cadastral reference and the postal address and also gives an overview of the certifications made and their qualification.
• By downloading data files in different formats that allow access to public information of the register.

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