"Energy passports" as of 30 September 2012 - Investors' new obligation creates new jobs

Long-awaited regulations on building energy efficiency have finally been adopted, and their application should start on 30 September 2011. These new regulations, as President of the Serbian Association of Engineers Dragoslav Sumarac explains, will create new jobs in the construction industry and contribute to significant fuel savings.

- When a Certificate of Occupancy is being issued, all new buildings will have to possess an energy passport, which will later be clearly displayed at the entrance to the building, along with the signatures of all relevant institutions and responsible energy efficiency engineers - Sumarac explains for eKapija.

The Regulations on Building Energy Efficiency and the Regulations on Terms, Content and Manner of the Issuance of Building Energy Efficiency Certificates should be fully implemented as of 30 September 2011, meaning that potential investors can already start with the preparations.

- The obligations prescribed by these regulations shall not significantly increase the price of building construction, maybe by 10 to 15 percent, but they will definitely affect the price of office or residential space within such buildings because of the energy savings achieved during the use of the property. So far, the price has been affected the most by the location, but I am sure that the energy passport will also be an important factor in determining the value of a building - says our interlocutor.

He also adds that the regulations cover eight energy classes, from A+ to G, and that C is the lowest energy class for new buildings.

Speaking about the procedure for obtaining a passport, he stresses that this document will be presented along with other technical documentation, and that it will have to be renewed every 10 years.

Sumarac points out that the Association of Engineers will make sure that the price of a passport design is lower than the price of preparing a technical documentation.

The Regulations covers 10 categories of facilities - residential buildings with one apartment, residential buildings with two or more apartments, administrative and business buildings, buildings intended for education and culture, buildings intended for health care and social care, buildings intended for tourism and catering business, buildings intended for sports and recreation, buildings intended for trade and service activities, mixed-purpose buildings, as well as buildings for other energy-consuming purposes.

(Dragoslav Sumarac)

These regulations do not apply to buildings not requiring a building permit, buildings built on the basis of a temporary building permit, buildings built on the basis of a building permit for preparation works, workshops, production halls, industrial buildings that are neither heated nor air-conditioned, and buildings that are occasionally used during winter and summer season (for less than 25 percent of the season).

Sumarac stresses that existing buildings will also have to possess an "energy passport" if their owners plan to sell or rent them.

The Regulations also apply to reconstruction, upgrade, renovation, adaptation, refurbishment, and energy recovery works on existing buildings; reconstruction, adaptation, refurbishment, renovation and revitalization works on cultural heritage and buildings in their protected surroundings, with clearly determined borders of cadastral parcels and cultural heritage, included in the List of the world cultural heritage sites, pursuant to the act on the protection of cultural heritage and the conditions set by the competent body, that is, organization for cultural heritage affairs.

Lower interest rates on mortgage loans

As our interlocutor explains, it is necessary to involve local governments and banks in this project.

- Banks should join this project because it is natural that interest rates on mortgage loans are lower if the energy performance of a building is higher.

Jobs for 5,000 engineers

According to the words of our interlocutor, what lies ahead is the adoption of the regulations on the licensing of responsible energy efficiency engineers.

- New regulations will also result in new jobs. Most people will be hired as responsible energy efficiency engineers. The estimates are that 5,000 out of about 23,000 engineers will be taking care of about 3 million existing and future buildings.

Big interest in new regulations

The seminar Energy Efficiency in Building Construction, organized by the Serbian Association of Engineers and the Ministry of Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning, in association with the German Association for International Cooperation - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), was held on Friday, September 23, in the premises of the Serbian Association of Engineers in Belgrade and drew a big attention.

At that seminar, in addition to aforementioned participants, the company Knauf Insulation presented its activities in the field of energy efficiency promotion in Serbia.

Andjelina Kuzmanovic, the application development manager at Knauf Insulation, spoke about energy efficient and sustainable construction with the use of thermal insulation materials made of mineral wool.

- KnaufTerm 2 is a software focused on the building thermal insulation and it calculates how much energy is required for heating. This program is expected to be of great assistance to all those engaged in building planning - said Rajcic.

The complete text of the Regulations on Building Energy Efficiency and the Regulations on Manner of the Issuance of Building Energy Efficiency Certificates can be downloaded in PDF format.