What it contains
The professional visits the home or building, records its energy characteristics (thermal envelope, building services and normal conditions of use and occupancy) and works out its rating from its energy use and CO₂ emissions. The certificate also includes recommendations for possible works to improve it.
The certificate is lodged in the register of the Spanish region. Some regions publish that register as open data: the Valencian regional government, for example, releases it through the Valencian Cartographic Institute with continuous updates.
What the seller must give you
Article 17 of Royal Decree 390/2021 requires a copy of the duly registered certificate and the energy label to be attached to the sale contract. Any advert for a sale or let must also include the energy rating.
There are exceptions, such as some buildings officially protected for their architectural or historic value, temporary structures for up to two years and stand-alone buildings of under 50 m² of usable floor area. A flat in an ordinary block is not exempt.
What the HOUSINGFAX report tells you
Check 06, «Energy efficiency», looks for the building's registered certificate in the open registers of the Valencian Community and the Basque Country and gives you its rating, energy use, emissions and validity; in the Valencian Community, also how many homes in the building have each rating. Outside those registers, the report says so and tells you which document to ask for.
If you want to know how to look up the rating of a particular flat, it is explained on our energy certificate page. Look through the sample report and check your home for free.
What the certificate does not tell you
The rating is a calculation with an official method, not a bill: what you actually spend depends on how you use the home. It says nothing about the structure or the façades either. The report sums up what the records say and does not replace an on-site technical inspection of the building.
Short answers
How long is a Spanish energy certificate valid?
For ten years at most from the date it is issued. If the rating is G, for five years at most.
Is it compulsory to sell a flat?
Yes, apart from the exceptions in Royal Decree 390/2021. A registered copy and the label are attached to the sale contract, and the rating must appear in the advert.
What does the energy certificate include?
The energy characteristics of the home or building, its rating from A, the most efficient, to G, the least, and recommendations for possible works to improve it.
Where is the certificate registered?
In the register of the region where the home is. Some, such as the Valencian Community and the Basque Country, publish their registers as open data.
Official sources you can consult
The links let you review the primary source. Their inclusion does not widen their purpose or turn a piece of context into a diagnosis.