NEW PROPERTY legislation often brings out opportunists looking for scams. We are already hearing stories of so-called qualified people offering to provide authorised Energy Efficiency Certificates. Scammers are aided, in part, because the software needed to produce the certificates is easily available on-line and it's free. Beware of fraudsters who are nothing less than architects or engineers.
A certified assessor must be an architect, engineer, or a qualified technician who is authorised to undertake building projects and thermal installations for buildings. The individual will have completed a special government training course on Existing Building Energy Certification, and be trained in the software designed to issue the certificate (this is important because not all architects and engineers are certified).
Both professionals belong to an official provincial association (colegio oficial) and have a member number. Architects must be registered at the colegio in order to be able to offer their services professionally. For the Vega Baja region you can inquire at the Colegio de Arquitectos de Alicante, Plaza de Gabriel Miró, 2, 03001 Alicante, tel. 965 21 84 00, about an architects authenticity.
The same applies with engineers, they all have their professional associations in every province, they must be registered and have a member number.
It is important to use an architect, engineer or technician who is registered at a colegio oficial because the certificate will probably have to be endorsed sometime in the future. AVEN (Agencia Valenciana de la Energía) is not prepared to receive any certificates for the moment, so for the time being a certificate does not need any further processing.
It is important to use an architect, engineer or technician who is registered at a colegio oficial because the certificate will probably have to be endorsed sometime in the future. AVEN (Agencia Valenciana de la Energía) is not prepared to receive any certificates for the moment, so for the time being a certificate does not need any further processing.
Dear Tony . please do not forget to mention that surveyors can also do the epc...as well as ( still to be anounced by the goverment soon )officialy qualified energy assessors.
ReplyDeletecould you please call the certificates EPC , as this is what the brittish are used to and understand. Not even the Spanish call them CEE , they call them certificados energeticos
Hola Anonymous
ReplyDeleteNot all surveyors are authorised to issue the Energy Efficiency Certificate, only those who have studied architecture (in Spanish "aparejador" or "arquitecto técnico", which is a lesser degree than that of a Bachelor of Architecture). The rest of surveyors are not authorised to issue the certificate.
I will be keeping an eye on announcements from the ministry regarding the training and certifying of assessors, and will post information as it becomes available.
I thought long and hard about how to refer to the certificate and decided on the literal English translation of Certificado de Eficiencia Energética which is what is printed on the certificate. Though I will take on aboard your suggestion, if over time an EPC is what the certificate eventually becomes known as in Spain.
Thank you for taking time to comment.