The cost of an Energy Performance Certificate

Sara Aguiar, Energy Performance Certification Department Assistant

Have you been wondering about the costs involved when it comes to Energy Performance Certificates? Costs vary and it will depend on a number of factors. Let us first talk about what an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is and why it is important.

What is an Energy Performance Certificate?
This certificate provides information on a property’s energy usage, as well as the energy costs involved. Recommendations will be made about how to reduce energy usage. In Portugal there are eight different grades: A+, A, B, B-, C, D, E and F.

A+ stands for the most efficient homes, energetically speaking; F for the least. For recent buildings (year 2006+) B- is the minimum by law. For older buildings, all grades are accepted. A qualified architect or engineer will visit the property on appointment basis and assess it, taking sun exposure, the housing type, air conditioning, heating, construction materials, property location and insulation into account. They will then calculate its thermal efficiency and submit their findings to ADENE (an energy agency in Portugal). ADENE is the agency that will issue the certificate. The mandatory documents to be presented to the expert that visits your property for the assessment are: a copy of the building plan and land registration documents.

Is an EPC mandatory and what is the duration of its validity?

The new certification system for the energy performance of buildings, approved by Decree-Law 118/2013, entered into force on the 1st of December, 2013. Once the EPC has been issued, it will be valid for 10 years. The fines for not having a valid certificate for individuals could amount to €3740, and for the agencies the fines range from €2500 to €45000. An agency should not advertise your property unless you have a valid certificate.  

Whose responsibility is it to obtain an EPC? 

It is the responsibility of the property owner to arrange the EPC. The EPC will need to be presented to potential buyers or tenants. Apart from the owners, developers and real estate agents must now disclose the relevant EPC number and energy performance rating in all advertisements for the sale or rent of buildings covered by the certification system.

How much does an EPC cost and how is it calculated? 

The cost will vary from expert to expert, however, there is an additional cost of Energy Performance Certification, which is a flat fee paid directly to ADENE. Regarding the price of the ADENE flat fee: A T0 to T1 will cost €28, T2 to T3 will cost €40,50, T4 to T5 will cost €55 and a T6+ will cost €65. Commercial and service buildings with an area of ​​250m2 or less will cost €135. Commercial and service buildings with an area of 250m2 and less than 500m2 will cost €350. Commercial and service buildings with an area of 500m2 and less than 5000m2 will cost €750, and buildings with an area of more than 5000m2 will cost €950. These fees exclude VAT. For the certification of areas larger than 1000m2, or areas with an energy consumption that exceeds 25 kilowatts, the competent assessors would be “Qualified Technicians-II” (Peritos Qualificados-II) whereas certification of smaller areas and house buildings are done by “Qualified Technicians-I.”

Our current total prices for the more common property types are:

T0/T1 – €231,24; T2 – €246,62; T3 – €258,92. These prices include VAT, as well as ADENE fees, and apply to one-story buildings, construction date up to 2006. 

Now that we have had a look at the prices, take note that the price of an EPC has two components, being the EPC issuance fee (ADENE fee), established by the government ordinance, according to building types. Secondly, the fee for the accredited assessor’s service (Perito Qualificado - PQ). This cost is determined by each professional or company and it may vary.

It is subject to many factors, depending on the use of the property:

Domestic energy performance certificates - Housing buildings/flats: The price varies according to the type, the number of floors and the year of construction.

Non-domestic energy performance certificates - Commercial/Services or office buildings: The price varies according to the floor area and the type of climatization systems.

The location, delivery deadline and the submission of all required documents are also factors that influence the price. For example, for an urgent EPC request with a 24h delivery, an urgency fee would be applicable. In certain cases, if no floor plan is presented, an extra fee is charged as well. This cost is also subject to free market competition rules.

Do the prices change? And why? 

Yes, ADENE fees changed about five years ago. Regarding the prices of assessor fees and global prices of EPCs, these are bound to change inevitably during the course of time due to economy and marketing processes.

We have been producing EPCs for eight years, which has given the company a clearer vision on what the job entails, its true complexity and the effort it requires. We adapt our prices not only to the market but also to new specifications and regulations by ADENE. We started back in 2014 by having higher prices, then lowered them too much; now we have acquired a balance based on our experience and expertise on the matter.

When last has the price changed and when is it expected to change again? 

We have changed our prices this year, 2022. During 2019 we lowered our Commerce/Services Buildings service fees, so they would be levelled with our prices for housing buildings. At this moment there are no further price changes planned.

Who defines the price?

The company manager defines the prices. ADENE fees are defined by the government.

How can you pay for an EPC, who to talk to and how to retrieve your certificate once it has been issued:

It is usually paid via bank transfer when the certificate is concluded. Clients can do it using an ordinary ATM machine or at their usual bank branch. There are other payment options as well. We welcome our clients who visit us at our office in Telheiras, Lisbon, and offer them the possibility to pay via cash or ATM transfer (Multibanco).

An original physical document is not required, because the Energy Performance Certificate is a document generated on a digital platform (ADENE), each certificate has its own digital identification number and also has no manual signature by the assessor. For this reason we send our certificates to our clients via email. However, upon request, we are happy to send our clients a printed copy of their EPC by post. They can also collect a printed copy at our offices, if they so wish. Here, at Neves & Ferrão, you can speak to Sara Aguiar or the department’s manager Rita Neves. We answer all the questions our clients might have about EPCs and their costs, and we manage our assessors’ scheduled visits as well. 

Stay tuned with Neves & Ferrão for discounts! If you have any questions regarding Energy Performance Certification, do not hesitate to contact us here.