Advanced paper on EPC assessment, certification, and use

The White Paper on good practice in Energy Performance Certificate assessment, certification, and use, is the advanced version of the Green Paper on good practice in EPC assessment, certification, and use. It provides detailed analyses, policy proposals and descriptions of tools on the seven areas that the QualDeEPC project has identified as its priorities for the development of enhanced EPC schemes:

• A) Improving the recommendations for renovation, which are provided on the EPCs, towards deep energy renovation
• B) Online tool for comparing EPC recommendations to deep energy renovation recommendations
• C) Creating Deep Renovation Network Platforms
• D) Regular mandatory EPC assessor training (on assessment and renovation recommendations) required for certification/accreditation and registry
• E) High user-friendliness of the EPC
• F) Voluntary/mandatory advertising guidelines for EPCs
• G) Improving compliance with the mandatory use of EPCs in real estate advertisements

For each topic, the situations in the partner countries were evaluated and best practice examples were described in the Green Paper. Based on this and further analyses, generally applicable measures for improvements are suggested. The enhancements drafted in the Green Paper were evaluated by EU and national stakeholder workshops and tested on pilot buildings and discussed with their representatives.

The major outcomes are:

• A text-based list of deep energy renovation recommendations,
• The concept for the online tool development,
• The concept for a Deep Renovation Network Platform,
• A universal, enhanced user-friendly EPC form template and background on the proposed content
• A detailed policy proposal for regular mandatory EPC assessor training, and
• A general policy proposal for advertisement guidelines and for actions to improve the compliance with the mandatory use of EPCs in real estate advertisements.

The suggested improvements on EPC schemes in the White Paper will be the basis for the country-specific adaptation, discussion, and to the extent possible, implementation of the developed policy proposals in the roadmaps to convergence and action towards deep renovation.