What energy rating does the flat you are looking at have?

What does each letter on a Spanish energy certificate mean?

The scale has 7 letters: A is for the homes that use the least energy and G for those that use the most. The certificate governed by Royal Decree 390/2021 rates energy use and CO₂ emissions per square metre per year under standard conditions, not from the bills of whoever lives there.

The scale has seven letters: A for the homes that use the least energy and G for those that use the most. The rating rests on two indicators: energy consumption, in kWh per square metre per year, and CO₂ emissions, in kilos per square metre per year. A full certificate therefore shows one letter for each indicator, and the two may differ.

The letter is calculated under standard conditions of use, not from the bills of whoever lives there. Two flats with the same letter can cost different amounts to run depending on how many people live in them, how much they heat or cool, and the weather. It is a way to compare homes, not to predict your bills.

Good letters are scarce among older homes. In Catalonia, according to the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN), only 5% of certified buildings and homes fall into the top three categories, and 60% of homes were built before 1980, when thermal insulation was not yet required.

How long it lasts and when it is required

Under article 13 of Royal Decree 390/2021, a certificate is valid for up to 10 years, or 5 if the rating is G. It has been compulsory for selling or letting an existing home since 1 June 2013, and a copy of the registered certificate is attached to the sale contract.

Article 13 of Royal Decree 390/2021 sets a maximum validity of ten years, except for a G rating, which lasts five years at most. Always look at the certificate date and its registration number; if it has expired, the owner must commission a new one, which may give a different letter if the home has changed.

Selling or letting an existing home has required a certificate since 1 June 2013. In a sale, article 17 requires a copy of the duly registered certificate to be attached to the contract, so the seller must have it before signing, not afterwards.

Does the letter have to appear in the listing?

Yes. Article 15 of Royal Decree 390/2021 requires the energy label in every offer, promotion and advert for a sale or rental. The letter belongs to that home, not to the whole building: flats in the same block can have different letters depending on their floor, orientation and each owner's improvements.

Article 15 requires the energy label to be included in every offer, promotion and advert for sale or rent. If a Spanish property listing does not show the letter, ask for it before the viewing, together with the certificate date: the seller should already have it.

The letter in the advert belongs to that home, not to the whole building. Flats with different letters sit side by side in the same block, depending on their floor, orientation and each owner's improvements, such as new windows or a better boiler. Comparing with other certificates in the same building, where the register publishes them, helps you place the flat.

Where to look up a certificate by address

Three regions publish their register as open data: the Valencian Community, by cadastral plot and updated daily; the Basque Country, by province and municipality since July 2013 and updated weekly; and Catalonia, through its energy institute, ICAEN. Elsewhere, ask the seller for the registered copy with its registration number and date.

Each Spanish region (comunidad autónoma) keeps its own register of certificates and decides what it publishes. Three of them release it as open data. The Valencian Community shows certificates grouped by cadastral plot and coloured by letter, updated daily. The Basque Country publishes its register by province and municipality from July 2013, updated weekly and with each certificate's improvement recommendations. In Catalonia, the ICAEN publishes the public information on certificates as open data.

In the other regions the register cannot be searched freely by address. Ask the seller or the estate agent for the registered copy, with its registration number and date. The decree requires the certificate to be filed with the regional register: an unregistered label is not enough to sell or let.

How HOUSINGFAX checks it: check 06

Check 06 of the report answers “What energy certificate does it have?”. In the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia it reads the regional register by cadastral reference: letter, consumption, emissions and validity of the certificates in the building, and how many homes in the building have each letter. In Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa it reads the Basque register, which publishes the building's certificate and links to those of its homes. If the building inspection (ITE or IEE) includes an energy estimate, the report shows that too.

Outside those provinces the check shows “no data” and tells you which document to ask for. Start with the free report: it shows the check with your home's real data and the key information blurred. The essential report costs €11 and the complete report, which adds the recorded building condition, €19. That is 22 checks on official sources, as a PDF in a few minutes, with a single payment and no account. The report does not replace a technical inspection of the building.

What to do with the letter before you buy

Ask for the full registered certificate, not just the label. Besides the letter, it includes the improvements the assessor recommends, which help you cost a renovation of windows, insulation or heating.

A low letter does not stop you buying: it means that, under normal use, the home needs more energy than others to be comfortable. Weigh it when comparing flats and when negotiating. The nota simple (land registry extract) tells you who owns the property; HOUSINGFAX tells you what state the building is in.