1. Which levels of competence are required
According to information published by local authorities, calculated energy certificates may be issued by specialists in three categories. The competence can be checked in a register.
| Qualification | Level |
|---|---|
| Diploma energy performance specialist | level 7 |
| Diploma energy performance specialist with the partial qualification of energy use modeller | level 7 |
| Chartered energy performance specialist | level 8 |
These levels concern the calculated certificate, issued for buildings being designed, that is new and substantially reconstructed ones. The precise requirements and their validity must be checked against the regulation in force, since professional standards change.
2. Why competence must be checked before commissioning
Three reasons, all of them financial. A certificate prepared by someone without the competence cannot be used in the procedure, so the work has to be commissioned again: two fees for one result. The schedule slips at the same time, at the worst possible moment, once the application has already been prepared.
The third consequence is the most expensive, because applying for the building permit depends on the certificate. The check itself is cheap and quick, which makes skipping it particularly unreasonable.
3. Where to check it
Two public sources, and neither requires the other party's consent. Both are freely accessible.
The professional register, where professional certificates can be verified, and the register of economic activities, which holds information on undertakings operating in the field. Both are public, so the check requires no explanation and causes no awkwardness.
The practical recommendation is a matter of timing: check before signing the contract, not before the work is delivered. Correcting it later costs more.
4. What competence does not guarantee
Three limits are worth knowing, because a competence check does not replace a substantive one. Competence does not guarantee the calculation.
Competence confers the right to issue, not the accuracy of the calculation. The quality of the calculation depends on the input data supplied by the designer, and wrong input data produce a wrong result even in competent hands.
A practical requirement follows: the input data must be reviewed, not only the result. According to professional sources the new regulation sets considerably higher demands on calculations and on the accuracy of input data than before, which makes this check more important than it was.
5. How the certificate reaches the register
One step closes the process, and it gives the client a simple check. The certificate must reach the register.
The energy certificate is entered in the building register, where it is visible to everyone as public information. Certificates are issued solely through the building register, which means a document outside the register is not an energy certificate.
The client's check is therefore a single sentence: if the certificate is not in the register, it does not exist in law. The register is public and free.
Summary and four practical rules
Calculated energy certificates may be issued by level 7 diploma energy performance specialists, including those with the partial qualification of energy use modeller, and by level 8 chartered specialists. Competence must be checked before signing the contract, because a certificate from someone without it cannot be used in the procedure and the work has to be commissioned again. Competence nonetheless confers only the right to issue, not the accuracy of the calculation, which depends on the input data supplied by the designer.
Four rules: check competence in the professional register before signing the contract. Review the input data, not only the result of the calculation. Check that the certificate is in the building register before treating the work as done. Allow for the higher demands on input data accuracy set by the new regulation.
This article offers professional orientation as at the date of verification. It replaces neither the regulations in force nor the assessment of a competent specialist.