MEET ASIER, "Our Man in Torrevieja". Asier qualified with top honours in architecture. He is a member of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Alicante (colegio oficial member number 10287). An Architect must possess a membership to a Spanish official college in order to legally offer their professional services. Asier is fully authorised to issue the Energy Efficiency Certificate.
DISINFORMATION AND chaos would be a fair description of the state of the new Energy Efficiency Certificate saga in Spain at the moment… un poco loco!
Government fast tracking, contradictions and confusing points in the legislation, software issues, along with the scams and cheap certificates have all contributed to the mayhem. Some real estate agents are refusing to do anything “until the situation calms down,” and one could justify being sympathetic to that claim. Many people do not understand whether or not they need the certificate, whilst others consider the certificate as another tax, and just another way of squeezing money. Consequently a slow-down has occurred which is forecast to have had a negative affect on the national property sales figures for June.
However, those wanting to abide by the law and not wishing to put themselves in a position whereby the sale of their property may default should persevere and obtain an Energy Efficiency Certificate from a trustworthy source.
The certification process of a building is not fully complete until the EEC is registered. No building or part of a building, according to the new property law, may be sold or rented without having previously registered the EEC in the Register of Certified Energy Performance of Buildings. It is the obligation of the developer or owner of the building to register the certificate.
energy label
Once the certificate has been issued it is necessary to register it with the appropriate agency of the Autonomous Community. Procedure may vary, and not all regional governments have designated an authorised agency. Some regions may require a fee, expected to be in the region of €30. Registration may be delegated to a third party.
When the registration is approved, an energy label is issued and should be attached to the certificate. The energy label summarises the information contained in the certificate and is for the purpose of display. It should then be made available to real estate agents, prospective buyers or tenants and displayed with all marketing of the property.
ONE MONTH since the introduction of the new Energy Efficiency Certificate and already there are major concerns with scams offering cheap certificates. It’s hardly surprising that the new legislation has bought out the cowboys. What is surprising to the professionals is how fast the illegal marketing has occurred.
“A general reduction of prices is not bad in itself,” says Fidel Perez Montes, Director of Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía, IDAE, “the problem is whether this reduction is accompanied by suspicious practices.”
For example, the Colegio de Aparejadores de Madrid has discovered advertisers that guarantee the highest rating (A), "something that turns the certificate in to a mere triviality when the initiative is crucial if we want to reduce CO² emissions to achieve more energy efficient homes and buildings," says Jesús Paños, President of the college.
Further concerns are about the cost of the certificate compared to the prices in the UK. Energy Performance Certificates were introduced in England and Wales in 2007 as part of the Home Information Packs (HIPs) for domestic properties. When the requirement for HIPs was removed in May 2010, the requirement for EPCs continued and this created a price war between assessors gunning for work. Some of those same assessors are offering their services here, which they are not legally authorised to do.
An EEC must be issued by an architect, engineer, or a qualified technician who is authorised to undertake building projects and thermal installations for buildings (this is important because not all architects and engineers are certified). They must belong to an official provincial association (colegio oficial) and have a member number. This allows them to offer their services professionally. If the assessor is not authorised then it will be impossible to register the certificate.
Jose Antonio Galdón emphasizes that for a house, "I would become suspicious of those who offer cheap certificates. The price you should expect to pay is between 200 and 300 euros per household".
PRESIDENT OBAMA lays out his vision for a comprehensive plan to reduce carbon pollution, prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, and lead global efforts to fight it.
"We don't have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society" warned Obama, "sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it's not going to protect you from the coming storm!"
Environmental activist and former Vice President Al Gore hailed President Barack Obama's climate change speech at Georgetown University on Tuesday as "historic" and "the best address on climate by any president ever."
"I applaud the new measures announced by President Barack Obama this afternoon to help solve the climate crisis -- particularly the decision to limit global warming pollution from existing as well as new power plants," Gore wrote on his blog. "Following the important pledges he made in both his inaugural address and State of the Union speech earlier this year, and the historic gains in renewable energy and fuel efficiency that the President delivered in his first term, the policy changes he announced today represent important steps forward in the battle to halt catastrophic climate disruption."
In his speech, Obama invoked his executive authority to undertake a wide range of measures aimed at curbing climate change and its impacts. Of particular import to Gore was the president's directive to the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with climate change regulations to limit carbon emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired utilities.
"This action -- if followed by skillful and thorough execution of the plan -- has the potential to fundamentally alter the course of our nation's energy infrastructure development and help to promote a sustainable future," he wrote. "On the international front, this action will bolster U.S. credibility and moral authority in negotiations with other countries."
The comments came after Gore -- who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in climate advocacy -- made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill to support the efforts of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), whom Gore has described as the Senate's leading advocate for solving the climate crisis.
AT 7:35PM CET (1:35pm EDT) Tuesday 25th June President Obama will speak at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. on the growing threat of climate change. He will lay out his vision of where we need to go, to do what we can to address and prepare for the serious implications of a changing climate. Tune in at www.whitehouse.gov/live
USING A home energy monitor can save you money on your electricity bill by helping you understand how much energy you are using, how much that energy is costing you, and which appliances use the most energy.
It’s a device that provides real time feedback on electrical use. Not to be confused with Smart Meters, these are portable household devices used for displaying energy usage and cost, as well as CO² emissions.
Used together with on line monitoring software, home electricity information can be viewed in real time on a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Energy monitoring systems can provide an array of historical information for tracking energy consumption. This produces several benefits including viewing how much you have spent on electricity over a specified period and the ability to set a budget on how much you want to spend.
A home energy monitor is not intended to check the accuracy your electric meter but it could serve as a useful guide if you suspect your meter maybe faulty or if you suspect your electricity supply is being illegally tapped into.
Efergy is a global leader in the manufacturing of energy monitoring systems having sold over 800k energy monitors and 250k energy saving products in over 50 countries. There range of energy monitor products are designed to make it easy for any home or small business owner to quickly and effectively reduce their use of electrical energy.
According to Gavin Munro, Communications Manager at Efergy Technologies, "Spain is one of our biggest markets, people are very aware of power consumption. We have performed surveys and had our products vetted independently, and an accurate figure on how much the user saves is 17%. The units themselves don't save any money, but they encourage behavioural change through awareness. Our customers tend to look at their displays around 5 times a day...it becomes a habit, a bit like checking email! Through this constant monitoring people very quickly figure out their consumption behaviour and where to make positive changes to reduce waste consumption."
In 2009 a European Commission recognised the company for its innovative contribution to a successful domestic energy-saving campaign in Sabadell in northern Spain achieving an average monthly saving in households of 14.3%.
Though ultimately it depends on you actively changing your bad habits, a Home Energy Monitor system provides you with all the tools needed to do just that.
