Energy performance certificate (PENB)
PENBThe everyday name for the energy performance certificate of a building (průkaz energetické náročnosti budovy, PENB) under Act No. 406/2000 Coll., on energy management. It places a building or flat in one of the classes A to G according to its calculated energy use: A is exceptionally efficient, G exceptionally wasteful. Under § 7a the owner must present it when selling or letting a building or part of one, and it is valid for 10 years.
Example
Suppose a bank gives a 0.20 pp discount on a flat in class A or B. On a CZK 4,000,000 mortgage over 25 years, that means a rate of 4.80 % instead of 5.00 % and a payment of CZK 22,920 instead of CZK 23,384. Over the first 5 years of the fixation you save CZK 464 a month, about CZK 27,800 in total.
In practice
For a new build the developer supplies the certificate; for an older flat the seller arranges it. Ask to see it before you sign a reservation. The bank looks at the certificate for the specific unit or building, and a general one for the whole project may not satisfy it. Besides any discount, the rating hints at the energy bills you will pay on top of the mortgage.
How it differs
A green mortgage is a bank product with a rate discount; the PENB is only the document the bank uses to decide whether you qualify. A property valuation sets the price, not the energy use. Some sub-programmes of the New Green Savings grant scheme work with the energy rating of a house before and after renovation.
Related terms
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