Energy certificates for buildings likened to nutritional labels

Many of us label shop at the grocery store to know exactly what we are buying. We look at calories, nutritional values, fat content and ingredients to determine which products best meet our needs.

How about label shopping buildings? That’s what a new Energy Certificate program in the European Union is intended to allow consumers to do. Label shop the buildings they buy, rent or otherwise occupy.

Think about your car. Chances are know how much it costs you. Insurance, maintenance, gas – you could probably estimate a total monthly cost, and be reasonably accurate. Could you do the same with your building?

The European Union aims to figure that out. Part of a directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings launched in 2006 is issuing Energy Certificates. The certificates profile the energy performance of existing and new buildings.

The program is mandatory for EU member states, and is intended to create transparency. It’s all well and good to promote energy efficiency in construction. But if an otherwise well-designed building has construction flaws – how would you know?

With certificates, renters, buyers, owners, operators and policy makers have access to data on the energy efficiency of the buildings around them. The program is exacting in detail – it aims to leave no (corner)stone unturned. Each building is assessed and inspected by energy performance experts.

The assessment is not system-specific. It includes boilers, heat pumps, heating elements, windows, wall insulation, air infiltration and more. Anything that influences energy efficiency. Computer software then analyzes the data, and assigns a ranking.

Does this sound like too much bureaucracy? Consider this: researchers believe Europe wastes up to 20% of its energy. European leaders believe there is a building energy savings potential of 28% if this program is followed through.

If correct, that would reduce EU total energy use by about 11%. The hope is that efforts such as the Energy Certificate program will help recapture that lost energy.