N.B. Update July 2016: Greece does not require examination for certification. See the new law 4409/2016.

Reliable Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) schemes could be part of the key steps towards highly energy-efficient buildings. Building certifiers play an important role in ensuring the credibility of the EPC system, which is why the quality of their skills and performance is essential.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) recast requires that all Member States develop an EPC framework including “all elements necessary to guarantee an effective and reliable certification process”. Despite the European Commission’s efforts, standards for EPC qualification, implementation and enforcement have not yet been unified across Member States. This is why a future recast of the EPBD should provide more detailed guidelines to ensure consistency.

Presenting a detailed country-by-country overview of the minimum qualification and accreditation requirements for building energy certifiers, this factsheet also illustrates the Member States’ different approaches to ensuring the reliability of EPC schemes.

Thorough EPC quality checks and proper monitoring need to be performed in order to ensure the certification schemes’ reliability and credibility. In case of malpractice, proportional penalties are to be enforced. To guarantee the certifiers’ skills in the long term, continuous professional development programmes should be provided. The factsheet concludes with a number of recommendations or safeguards to be implemented in order to ensure that building certifiers have the necessary competences.