Klaus vetoed the amendment that introduces energy labels for buildings

Prague - President Václav Klaus vetoed the amendment to the Energy Management Act, which was intended to introduce the obligation to label buildings with energy labels similar to those for electrical appliances. In the justification, he stated that based on unclear terminology, the amendment imposes a number of legally enforceable obligations on builders. The EU directive that the amendment incorporates into Czech legislation, according to Klaus, forces even private entities to insulate buildings, as if the state and the EU know better than the homeowners what is good for them. His spokesperson Radim Ochvat informed CTK about the president's veto today.
Energy labels, according to the law, which caused confusion in the Chamber of Deputies and passed the Senate with only the minimum necessary number of votes, are to be provided starting next year by builders, building owners, or owners' associations for new buildings, during renovations, and when selling apartments. In the case of renting parts of buildings, the new obligation will apply starting in 2016. Existing buildings are to obtain labels gradually from 2015 to 2019, according to the area specified by law.
The so-called energy performance certificates are intended to serve as information for buyers or tenants, who will learn about the operating costs for energy. The new measure is intended to lead to lower energy consumption and thus reduce expenses. The amendment is also to introduce the obligation to install heat meters in apartments with central heating. The new rule arises from the necessity to implement a new European directive.
Klaus stated that he considers the European directive to be a result of a long-term incorrect and gradually surpassing policy of imprudent commitments that the European Union and its member states have taken on. Its application, in his view, will increase the cost of construction not only of public buildings but also of private apartments and houses. "This will burden the budgets of the state, regions, municipalities, and individual households, and will also increase the cost of housing, making it harder to sell apartments and overall burdening the real estate market," he stated. He noted that only traders in technology and those who award the labels would profit from the reduction of energy consumption.
According to Hnutí Duha, however, the law would reduce household heating bills by tens of percent and decrease the Czech Republic's dependence on fossil fuels, namely coal mines and gas from Russia. "Only coal barons and bosses of Russian Gazprom could oppose this law," said Miroslav Pech from Hnutí Duha.
Discontent with the president's veto was also expressed by the Alliance for Energy Independence and the Chance for Buildings initiative, representing around 180 companies from designers to the construction and development business to suppliers of energy-saving technologies. "The trend to build energy-efficient is a logical response to the ever-increasing energy prices," said initiative coordinator Petr Holub to CTK.
Real estate agent from the RE/MAX network Jan Zachystal, on the other hand, has no problem with Klaus' position. "I see the sense of energy labeling only in new buildings. In older properties, it is just unnecessary bureaucratic burden," he stated. However, the CEO of the development company Ekospol Evžen Korec is also against mandatory labeling even for new apartments.
However, the Czech law goes even further than required by the EU, according to the president. It does not sufficiently take into account local conditions, such as climate conditions or the way buildings are used. He claims that he was called to return the law for these reasons not only by individual citizens and their groups but also by senate clubs of ČSSD, ODS, and KDU-ČSL in his letters.
"By its nature and purpose, this law ranks among the very worst and most harmful laws to a free society that I have ever been asked to sign as the President of the Republic. It is surprising that this government proposed such a law. I am convinced that the reasons that lead me to return the law are strong enough for the Chamber of Deputies to reconsider it responsibly once again," reasoned the President of the Republic for his rejection.