Even a fine of PLN 5,000. Checks are underway to see if the owners have paid PLN 800.

• Owners of properties built after 2009 and owners of buildings constructed before 2009, if they are intended for sale or rent, must have an energy certificate.

• The amendment to the Act on the Energy Performance of Buildings and the Construction Law, introducing the requirement to have a certificate, provides for the requirement to carry out inspections regarding the possession of an energy certificate - Biznes Interia.pl reminds.

• The lack of this document may result in a fine of up to PLN 5,000.

An energy certificate is a document that property owners must have:

• built after 2009,
• owners of buildings constructed before 2009, if they are intended for sale and rent.

If the building was built before 2009 and is used for private purposes, the owners do not have to have an energy certificate . However, if they want to sell or rent the building, they will have to obtain the document if they do not already have it.

The energy certificate shows the energy demand of the property for a year. The information helps to estimate energy costs within the house - explains Biznes Interia.pl.

The cost of an energy certificate ranges from PLN 500 to PLN 800, depending on the address and size of the premises, but owners of particularly large houses in larger cities may pay up to PLN 1,000 or more - informs Biznes Interia.pl.

In April 2023, an amendment to the Act on the Energy Performance of Buildings and the Construction Law came into force, introducing the requirement to have a certificate, but also imposing a requirement to carry out heating inspections.

Inspections are carried out by building supervision authorities, which check the compliance of the document with the actual technical condition of the building.

• inspection once every 2 years - boilers fired with liquid or solid fuel with a nominal thermal power greater than 100 kW,
• inspection once every 3 years - heat sources not listed in the list, accessible parts of the heating system or combined heating and ventilation system, with a total nominal thermal power greater than 70 kW,
• inspection once every 4 years - gas-heated boilers with a nominal thermal output of more than 100 kW,
• inspection once every 5 years - boilers with nominal thermal power from 20 kW to 100 kW.

Importantly, after the first inspection, another one will be avoided if the energy character of the building has not changed since the last inspection and no significant changes have been made to the heating system (e.g. change of heat source) .

According to the indicated act, the lack of an energy certificate, but also failure to perform other obligations, is subject to a fine of up to PLN 5,000. Penalties are possible in the case of:

• the preparation of a characteristics certificate in a manner that does not meet legal requirements or by a person not authorised to prepare it;
• preparation and submission of a document as an energy performance certificate that was not prepared in accordance with the methodology that may be used to prepare the certificate;
• failure to provide a performance certificate when concluding a sales or lease agreement for a building or part thereof;
• failure of the person issuing the certificate to keep the required documents for an appropriate period of time;
• failure to perform the required inspection of the heating and air conditioning system;
• this inspection was carried out in an unlawful manner or by a person not authorized to perform such an inspection;
• preparation and submission of a document as a protocol for the inspection of a heating system or air-conditioning system that was not prepared in accordance with the regulations.