Houses in Poland will be sold with an energy certificate

Warsaw - Starting from the beginning of next year, newly constructed or renovated properties in Poland with an area over 50 square meters will have to meet the requirements of the so-called energy performance certificate for buildings. According to experts, the introduction of this EU regulation could shake the real estate market. The prices of houses that are not sufficiently insulated could drop significantly.
    The introduction of the certificate is intended to allow every EU resident to verify how much it will cost to maintain a home or apartment, as the more energy a property consumes, the higher the resulting bills. The regulation should compel homeowners to adopt an ecological approach and construction companies to use energy-saving technologies.
    Poland was supposed to prepare for the implementation of the regulation as early as 2006, but the country requested a three-year delay from Brussels to prepare the necessary documentation and train the people who will be issuing the certificates.
    However, according to experts, Poland is not prepared. There is no method for measuring energy consumption in apartments, and the format of the document is not yet known. "It is only known that the certificate will cost between 500 and 1500 zlotys (3300 CZK to 10,000 CZK)," said Lukasz Sikora from the Regional Agency for Energy Savings. He warned that if Poland does not start issuing energy performance certificates for buildings at the beginning of next year, the European Commission may file a lawsuit against the state.
    The document will allow estimating the monthly costs of heating an apartment. Those that are the least demanding will be rated class A, while the most demanding will be classified as class G. The lower the class, the lower the price of the apartment could be. According to experts, the problem is that in Poland it is necessary to insulate up to 80 percent of properties.
    In countries where energy certificates have been introduced, such as Denmark, Sweden, the UK, or France, the real estate market reacted quickly. Prices of uninsulated houses fell by ten to 20 percent.
    The energy performance certificate for buildings with a floor area over 50 square meters will be a mandatory part of the documentation for new construction in the Czech Republic from January 1, 2009. In buildings larger than 1000 square meters, a graphical part of the certificate will also have to be displayed publicly in the building.
    The real estate market in Poland was significantly revitalized just before the country's accession to the European Union, when people were buying apartments out of fear of subsequent price increases. In the year following Poland's accession to the EU, apartment prices in the country indeed rose by up to 20 percent.
    In recent months, the financial crisis has shaken prices. An analysis by Open Finance reveals that in October, the price per square meter in the largest cities in Poland fell. "The price drop over the last 12 months has already exceeded nine percent in Wrocław, and in other large cities, it is not as pronounced, but the trend is persistent," the report states. According to Open Finance, apartments are expected to become even cheaper in the first half of next year.