Energy Performance Certificate (Energieausweis) When Renting or Buying in Austria

If you rent an apartment or buy property in Austria, you will encounter the energy performance certificate, known as the Energieausweis. This document shows how much energy a building requires under standard use. It also explains the building’s energy efficiency and the information that landlords and sellers must provide.

Key points

• For renting, leasing and selling, the Energieausweis must be shown and handed over.
• The obligation lies with the landlord, lessor or seller, not with the tenant or buyer.
• Information about the building’s energy condition must generally also appear in property advertisements.
• Buildings are classified from A++ to G; G is the least efficient category.
• Breaches of the obligations may result in a fine of up to 1.450 euros.

What is an Energieausweis?

The Energieausweis provides information about the building’s overall energy efficiency (Gesamtenergieeffizienz). It records the calculated or measured amount of energy required for normal use of the building, including heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water and lighting.

The certificate does not guarantee a particular level of consumption. Actual energy use also depends on how the property is used.

The requirements for preparing the certificate are governed by the building regulations of each federal state (Bundesland). As a result, the document may have a different format depending on the state.

Who must show and provide the certificate?

For houses, apartments and commercial premises, the certificate must be shown and handed over when the property is:

• rented (Vermietung),
• leased (Verpachtung), or
• sold (Verkauf).

The responsibility always lies with the landlord, lessor or seller. As a tenant or buyer, you do not have to obtain the certificate yourself.

The requirement also applies at the advertising stage. As a general rule, property advertisements must include information about the building’s energy condition. There are exceptions to the information, presentation and handover obligations.

What does the Energieausweis contain?

For residential buildings, the certificate has two main pages:

• First page: basic building information, such as the type, category and location, together with the main indicators and energy efficiency classes.
• Second page: detailed building data, such as gross floor area and climate region, plus details of heat and energy requirements.

Main indicators

• HWB (Heizwärmebedarf): the amount of heat that must be supplied to the rooms for heating. It can also indicate the quality of the thermal insulation.
• PEB (Primärenergiebedarf): total energy requirement, including the production and transportation of energy.
• CO2 (Kohlendioxidemissionen): the carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sources required to operate the building.
• fGEE (Gesamtenergieeffizienzfaktor): the building’s efficiency compared with a 2007 reference building.
• WWWB (Warmwasser-Wärmebedarf): the energy required to produce hot water.
• HEB (Heizenergiebedarf): the heating energy requirement, including losses from building services such as the boiler and circulation pump.
• EEB (Endenergiebedarf): the final energy requirement, including household electricity. This is the amount of energy that must be purchased.

The HWB value is shown in two ways: for the building’s location compared with a reference location for the whole of Austria, and in relation to the gross floor area, meaning the total area including the walls.

For existing buildings, the certificate also contains recommendations for energy improvements. This section is not mandatory for newly constructed buildings.

How to understand the classes and the fGEE value

The values shown on the first page are assigned to energy efficiency classes from A++ to G:

• A++: the best category.
• G: the least efficient category.

The fGEE factor provides a simple comparison:

• Below 1: the building is more energy-efficient than the 2007 reference building.
• Above 1: the building is less energy-efficient than the reference building.

As a general illustration of hot-water demand, the requirement corresponds roughly to one litre of water per square metre of gross floor area, heated by approximately 30 degrees, for example from 8 degrees to 38 degrees.

Residential or non-residential building?

Whether a building is considered residential or non-residential depends on its predominant use. A school, hotel or kindergarten is a non-residential building if it is mainly used for that purpose.

For non-residential buildings, the certificate must contain additional information, such as the cooling requirement.

Who can issue an Energieausweis?

The following professionals may be authorised to issue an Energieausweis, among others:

• building contractors, carpenters, and businesses specialising in electrical, gas and sanitary systems, heating, cooling and air-conditioning, or ventilation technology;
• certain specialist engineering offices (Ingenieurbüros), for example in building physics or building services engineering;
• architects and civil engineers (Ziviltechniker) with specified areas of expertise;
• chimney sweeps, but only for existing residential buildings;
• stove builders (Hafner), but only for one- and two-family houses and terraced houses.

What happens if there is no certificate?

Failing to show or hand over the certificate may have consequences under warranty and compensation law. An administrative fine may also be imposed.

• Failure to provide information, show or hand over the certificate: a fine of up to 1.450 euros.

The legal basis is the Energieausweis-Vorlage-Gesetz 2012 (EAVG 2012) and the directive on the energy performance of buildings, (EU) 2024/1275.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to arrange an Energieausweis as a tenant?

No. The landlord is responsible for showing and handing over the certificate.

Can the certificate tell me exactly how much my heating bill will be?

No. The certificate does not guarantee a specific level of consumption because actual use also depends on personal habits.

Which is the best and worst energy class?

The classes range from A++ to G. A++ is the best and G is the worst.

Is the certificate identical throughout Austria?

Not necessarily. The requirements for preparing it are set by the building regulations of the federal states, so its format may vary from state to state.

Practical steps when renting or buying

1. Check the property advertisement for the required energy information.
2. Ask the landlord, lessor or seller to show you the Energieausweis before signing.
3. Request that the certificate is handed over as part of the rental, lease or purchase process.
4. Review the energy class, HWB and fGEE value, while remembering that the certificate does not predict your exact energy consumption.
5. If the certificate is not shown or handed over, obtain professional legal advice about possible warranty, compensation and administrative consequences.

Source: oesterreich.gv.at