Energy Certificate

It is an official document that evaluates the energy efficiency of a property on a scale from A+ (very efficient) to F (inefficient), issued by qualified experts recognized by the Energy Agency (ADENE), the managing entity of the building energy certification system (SCE).
Relevant factors to determine the property’s rating include its location, year of construction, type (house or apartment), usable floor area, as well as the composition of structural elements (walls, roofs, floors, etc.). Also considered are the property’s equipment related to heating, ventilation, cooling, and hot water production.
The energy certificate assesses the insulation of windows, ventilation, heating, and production of domestic hot water and their effect on energy consumption, suggesting measures to reduce energy consumption and improve the property’s thermal comfort.
This document allows access to financing programs to implement improvement measures, as well as tax benefits related to IMI or IMT or fee reductions for rehabilitation, increasing the value of your property.

The energy certificate is mandatory in the following situations:

• Buildings, at the time of their sale, conveyance in compliance, lease, or transfer provided that this involves the transfer of the physical space;
• New buildings;
• Existing buildings subject to major renovation, i.e., buildings undergoing renovation where the estimated total cost of the work related to components exceeds 25% of the total value of the building based on the average construction value published annually;
• Existing commercial and service buildings with an internal usable floor area equal to or greater than 1000 m2, or 500 m2 in the case of shopping centers, hypermarkets, supermarkets, and indoor swimming pools;
• Buildings owned and occupied by a public entity and frequently visited by the public with an internal usable floor area greater than 250 m2;
• Buildings covered by financing programs, whenever energy certification is a requirement for the purpose;
• Buildings eligible for tax benefits, whenever energy certification is a requirement for the purpose.

The documents required for issuing the energy certificate consist of the urban property tax book which can be obtained free of charge from the finance portal, the property registry certificate which can be requested on the site www.predialonline.pt, copies of the property plans (if they exist), previous energy certificate (if available), housing technical sheet (if applicable), technical sheets of equipment for hot water, heating, and others deemed necessary.

Yes. The energy certificate is valid for 10 years for dwellings and small service and commercial buildings/units. For large commercial and service buildings/units, the validity is 8 years.

No. However, during transactions, it is necessary to present a Provisional Declaration of the SCE issued by the Qualified Expert or a declaration from the City Council or the General Directorate of Treasury and Finance.