Energy performance certificate (energiamärgis)

What the ad must show

An ad to sell or rent out a building or a separately used part of it — a flat, for example — must include the certificate's data: the energy performance figure or weighted specific energy use and the class (EhS § 67(1)). The buyer or tenant must be able to see the certificate; it is enough that it is visible in the Ehitisregister.

When a certificate is required

A certificate is required for a new building and after a major renovation — when its cost exceeds a quarter of the average cost of building such a building (EhS § 63, § 65). Certificates are issued only through the Ehitisregister, where they are public.

The requirements do not apply to homes used under 4 months a year (summer houses, for example), buildings with a closed net area under 50 m², religious and temporary buildings, or monuments and buildings in protected areas where the requirements would harm their character or look (EhS § 62(2)).

Validity and who issues it

A certificate for an existing building is based on actual energy use — at least one full year, preferably the last three — and is valid for 10 years from its entry in the Ehitisregister. The calculated certificate of a new building is valid for 2 years from the occupancy permit.

It is prepared by a certified specialist — an energy efficiency specialist, energy auditor, HVAC engineer or architect; the certificate can be checked in the Kutsekoda register. In an apartment building the association orders it. TTJA supervises and checks 250–350 certificates a year.