Energy Performance Certificate: what it is and when it is needed

Everything about the certificate that measures your home’s efficiency and guides its market value.

If you are evaluating the purchase of a new home, want to rent out an apartment or are planning Energy redevelopment interventions to reduce consumption, there is a document that plays a central role: the Energy Performance Certificate (APE).

This certification makes it possible to know the Energy efficiency of a property, offering a clear estimate of its consumption and living comfort. Understanding how this document works helps you make more informed choices oriented toward sustainability.

What is the Energy Performance Certificate?

The APE is a technical document drawn up by a qualified Energy certifier that measures the Energy performance of a building or property unit. In essence, it indicates how much Energy the property consumes on average in a year for heating, cooling, the production of domestic hot water and, in some cases, lighting.

The result of this analysis is summarized in the Energy class, expressed on a scale ranging from A4 , maximum efficiency, to G, minimum efficiency. The class is the most immediate parameter for comparing the Energy quality of different properties, but the APE also contains information on the systems present and suggestions for improving performance.

What does an APE contain and how is it read?

In addition to the Energy class, the document includes a series of technical information useful for those who want to understand the actual situation of the property and assess any interventions:

Energy performance index (IPE): measures the annual Energy requirement per square meter, expressed in kWh/m²/year. It allows objective comparisons between buildings of different sizes;

data on systems: type and efficiency of the heating, cooling and hot water production system;

Energy sources used: Energy from the grid, gas, Renewable sources;

CO₂ emissions: estimate of the emissions associated with the property’s consumption;

improvement recommendations: non-binding indications on interventions that could improve the Energy class.

Reading the APE also means understanding the potential Energy class improvement: the difference between the current situation and the one achievable through Energy redevelopment interventions. This figure is relevant both for planning efficiency works and for estimating the impact on the value of the property on the real estate market. A building with a higher Energy class consumes less, is worth more and is more aligned with evolving regulations.

When it is mandatory: sale, rental and renovation

Italian and European regulations establish specific cases in which drawing up the APE is an essential legal requirement. This certificate must be mandatorily drawn up and presented in the following scenarios:

Those selling a property are required to provide the APE to the buyer before the contract is signed; the document must be attached to the notarial deed.

The APE is mandatory for rental contracts; the Energy class must be indicated in the real estate listing, even if published on online platforms.

Every newly constructed building must have an APE at the end of the works.

Interventions involving more than 25% of the building’s dispersing surface require an updated APE.

In the event of omission, administrative penalties are provided for the seller or landlord, with amounts varying according to the type and surface area of the property. The obligation applies to both residential and commercial buildings, with some exceptions for specific categories such as historic buildings, places of worship or temporary structures.

Who can issue the APE and how much does it cost?

The APE can be drawn up exclusively by a qualified Energy certifier: engineers, architects, surveyors and industrial experts registered with their respective professional registers, with specific training in Energy efficiency. The technician carries out a site inspection at the property, collects data on the systems and the building envelope and enters the information in the regional Energy register, which manages the official archive of certificates.

The cost varies according to the type of property, the surface area and the complexity of the systems. For a medium-sized residential apartment, market prices are generally between 150 and 350 euros, but they may vary significantly. It is advisable to request multiple quotes and verify that the professional is registered with the competent register. The validity is ten years from the date of issue, unless interventions are carried out that modify the Energy performance of the building.

APE and Energy redevelopment: the link with classes

The APE is not only a bureaucratic requirement: it is the starting point for any Energy redevelopment path. The pre-intervention document makes it possible to identify the building’s main critical issues and define a work plan with clear objectives in terms of the Energy class to be achieved. In many cases, access to tax deductions, such as the Ecobonus, is conditional precisely on the improvement of at least two Energy classes, certified by an APE drawn up before and after the works.

The European regulatory framework makes this path increasingly less optional. The Green Homes Directive, EPBD Directive, sets progressive targets for the decarbonization of residential buildings by 2050, with intermediate stages that will mainly concern buildings in the lowest Energy classes. For those who own a property in class F or G, acting in good time means reducing consumption, increasing the value of the property and anticipating future obligations. Knowing the class of your property through the APE is the first concrete step for planning with criteria.

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Frequently Asked Questions

No, although the two terms are often confused. ACE was the previous name, in use until 2013. With the transposition of the European Directive on the Energy efficiency of buildings, it was replaced by the APE, which introduces an updated calculation methodology and a more detailed class scale, from A4 to G. An ACE still held by an owner is no longer valid for regulatory purposes.

The sale or rental of a property with an expired, invalid or completely absent certificate exposes the parties to heavy administrative financial penalties, as well as failing to comply with legal obligations. In particular, the consequences and penalties provide that:

for sale and purchase, the amount of the penalty charged to the seller ranges from 3,000 to 18,000 euros;
for rental, the penalty charged to the landlord ranges from 1,000 to 4,000 euros, reduced by half for contracts lasting less than three years;
in sale and purchase contracts, a specific clause must be included in which the buyer explicitly declares that they have received the Energy documentation;
omission of the Energy class in real estate listings and failure to deliver the document are the most commonly sanctioned violations.

Yes. Since 2013, it has been mandatory to indicate the Energy class and the Energy performance index in all real estate listings, including those published on online portals. The obligation applies to both sale and rental listings, regardless of the publication channel.

Yes, provided that it is still valid, within ten years from issue, and no interventions have been carried out that alter its Energy performance. It is not necessary to obtain a new document for every real estate transaction: the same APE can be attached to different contracts during its period of validity.

The framework is evolving. The Green Homes Directive provides that Member States update their Energy certification methodologies to align them with the 2050 decarbonization objectives. It is likely that the Energy class scale will be revised and that the lowest classes will be associated with progressive adaptation obligations. Those who own properties in class F or G are advised to monitor regulatory developments and assess efficiency interventions in good time.