Thousands of citizens who have taken the obligation of energy certification of their apartments and business premises seriously, as mandated by the Law since the beginning of this year, have been incredulously watching how the prices for the preparation of this document have been plummeting over the last month.
As recently as September, energy certificates were charged up to three thousand kuna, but with each subsequent month on the calendar, their price has been getting lower. The latest data from ubiquitous online advertising sales channels like Njuškalo or Crno Jaje indicates that obtaining an energy certificate is advertised for an incredible 100 kuna, and on some portals for as little as – one kuna! Confused citizens truly no longer know whether they were deceived by paying much larger amounts for certificates or if they will only be deceived if they agree to these cheap attractive offers, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.
In Croatia, about two thousand individuals and companies are certified by the Ministry of Construction for the job of preparing energy certificates, and they all prepare them according to their own price lists since there are no agreed fixed prices, leaving everything to the market.
– A certificate for one hundred kuna or for one kuna is pure fraud – said one of the engineers authorized to prepare this document, but requested anonymity.
He emphasizes that some business owners have organized themselves so that students go out into the field and collect the necessary data, making it much cheaper for them, which is why prices are getting lower. In addition, there are many who do not have authorization to work but operate illegally for someone who does have that authorization and provides them with their stamp and signature.
– There are many abuses in this business because the law is vague, and controls are rare. If someone tells a citizen that they will issue a certificate for one hundred kuna, and without going out into the field, that person is a fraudster because without going out into the field and collecting specific data about the property, that document cannot be made – says the authorized certifier.
A list of authorized energy certifiers is available on the Ministry of Construction’s website, and along with the energy certificate, it is mandatory to prepare a report on the energy review. This is a document that describes the energy certificate in more detail, provides an analysis of energy and water consumption in the property, and clearly suggests to the owner what measures – investments they can undertake to reduce consumption in the property. Such a document is the most valuable part of every energy certification because by properly implementing measures, the owner can achieve significant savings.
