Romanian authorities asked EC to postpone the energy certificates

The Romanian Development Ministry intends to postpone until June 2010 the implementation of energy certificates when selling or buying a house, according to governmental sources. The last version of the normative act addressing the introduction the energy certificate set the deadline for March 1. Romanian authorities have already sent to the European Commission a request to post pone the deadline for another three months on account that there are not enough energy audit bodies, Energy Auditors Association Emilia Cerna Mladin told HotNews.ro.

The Intention to postpone the implementation of the energy certificate gas attracted the criticism of the energy auditors: „We trained 600 auditors in five years, how many do they expect us to prepare in three months? Maybe we should start manufacturing them. Some take advantage of this unclear situation and undertake a short course to become auditors. This crossroads moment is presently very used, giving the illusion that auditors can be formed in a very short time”, Emilia Cerna Mladin said.

Initially, the energy certificated should have been introduced in January 1, 2010. But the Boc Cabined postponed it until 1st of January 2011 with an Emergency Ordinance published at the end of last year in December. The European Commission warned the Romanian Government hat the certificates’ implementation cannot be postponed, as they are compulsory according to a new and active European Directive. Should the certificated not be introduced, Romania risks infringement procedures.

The Romanian Regional Development and Tourism Ministry announced recently in a press communiqué that the Emergency ordinance reintroducing the compulsory certificate will valid starting March 1, 2010. „In the period to come, the technical-professional accreditation process of energy auditors will be accelerated and several useful assessment schemes will be authorised for energy auditors; at the same time, university centres organising courses for future auditors will also hold courses for initiation in using these schemes”, the Ministry’s communiqué goes on.

An energy certificate informs a potential buyer or tenant on the flat’s energetic potential, which is generally expressed by:

the total annual energy consumption, kWh/sqm used area, the total annual energy consumption for heating, running hot water and electricity used for lightning;

the flat’s energy efficiency, by placing it in an energy class (starting with A for high energetic efficiency to G for low energetic efficiency), a function for the annual total specific energy consumption.