One feature of the Green Energy Act will be the compulsory disclosure of energy performance information when buildings are sold. This is already an established practice in Europe, since the 2002 Directive of the European Parliament on the energy performance of buildings. “Efficient, high quality energy audits” are also a key element of the EU Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive.In order to implement the Directives, all members of the European Union are required to adopt and implement laws that, among other things, require:
- energy certification of buildings, and
- regular inspections of boilers and air conditioners.
In England, for example, qualified persons must certify the energy performance of all non-residential buildings when they are constructed, sold or leased. Large public buildings must prominently display a ticket showing their energy performance. New buildings and large buildings undergoing major renovations must meet energy efficiency performance standards. All major air conditioning systems must now undergo regular inspections to ensure they are operating efficiently; by 2011 all air conditioning systems over 12 kW must have been inspected.
- By comparison, the requirements of the Green Energy Act are modest.