Energy performance certificate

The energy performance certificate is the formal document that shows a building's energy label, together with proposed measures to reduce energy use. The certificate is valid for up to ten years and must be presented when homes and buildings are sold or let. For new buildings it must be in place before completion. Enova manages the scheme under the energy labelling regulations, which fall under the Ministry of Energy. Certificates issued under the old model remain valid until they expire.

Enova can make certificates available to the market, and the owner of a home can opt out. The certificate has three parts. First the label itself: a single letter from A to G for calculated weighted delivered energy per UFA (usable floor area). The former heating grade, shown as a colour scale, no longer exists from 1 January 2026. Then a list of cost-effective energy measures for the building envelope or the heating and cooling systems, from extra loft insulation to changing the heat source. For buildings with competence requirements, the list must rank the measures and estimate the expected reduction in energy use. Finally documentation of the key information the calculation is based on. For commercial buildings in operation, the certificate also states measured energy use for the last three years. The measures are recommendations, with no duty to carry them out.

Who can register depends on the building type. For detached houses and small houses, the owner can enter the details through Enova's self-service solution. Commercial buildings and buildings with several dwellings must be labelled by a firm with engineering competence at bachelor level and at least two years of experience in energy calculations. Such certificates are often used as a diagnostic tool alongside a condition report and before refurbishment.

The certificate must be renewed after significant structural changes, after changes to the technical systems that affect the label, or after ten years. For new builds, the certificate must be in place before the completion certificate or temporary permit to occupy. If the seller does not present a certificate before the sale agreement is signed, the buyer can order it at the seller's expense within one year, and the omission can amount to a defect under the Norwegian Property Sales Act.

The difference from a do-it-yourself power consumption account is that the certificate calculates normalised energy use under standard conditions in line with NS 3031:2025, with weighting per energy source. It is comparable between buildings, but it does not tell you what the electricity bill will be. How a family uses the house often affects the electricity bill more than the grade itself.

In the banking and finance market, the energy performance certificate is used as documentation for green mortgages (many banks require grade A or B) and in EU taxonomy assessments of commercial property. For BREEAM-NOR, the certificate counts as documentation in the Energy category. When letting to companies with taxonomy reporting duties, the grade on the certificate has a direct bearing on which tenants the building can attract.

In Placepoint, registered energy performance certificates are linked to the individual building and shown in the building panel, so the grade and the latest registration date sit alongside the other building data. In portfolio analysis, you can filter on energy label and find which buildings rank lowest, a natural starting point for prioritising measures. Report: ESG and sustainability includes the date of issue and validity, and flags when a certificate is more than ten years old and no longer valid.

How this looks in Placepoint

In Placepoint, you find this in Building panel:

From Placepoint's dictionary: Energy performance certificate

More information: Enova: Energimerking og energiattest, Lovdata: Energimerkeforskriften, Store norske leksikon: energimerking av bygninger

English: Energy performance certificate.