Energy performance certificates provide information about energy consumption per square meter of usable floor space per year and the energy efficiency class of a building, similar to what we already know for household appliances or vehicles. This is intended to give prospective buyers of condominiums and those interested in renting apartments objective information about whether a building has high or low energy consumption. The political expectation is that buildings with poor energy ratings will be identified in order to motivate building owners to undertake energy-efficient modernizations.
Generally, a distinction is made between two different types of energy performance certificates: the consumption-based and the demand-based energy performance certificate.