The DPE is a document obligatory for any accommodation, new or oldintended for the sale or at the location. It is the owner of the property who is responsible for having this Energy Performance Diagnosis carried out so that his accommodation is classified thanks to a Energy label. Call on a certified diagnostician also allows you to receive all the recommendations to follow to improve, thanks to specific works, the energy performance of the housing if necessary. Let’s see on which checkpoints carries an ECD and how to read it.
What is a DPE used for?
The DPE or Energy Performance Diagnosis is a simplified heat balance governed by article R134-1 of the Construction and Housing Code. This device put in place by the State makes it possible to raise the energy performance of a dwelling or an office as well as their consequences on the energy bills to come so that the tenants or the purchasers of a property are informed and can establish a comparison between the various properties which interest them. But it also indicates the emission of greenhouse gases from housing. The Energy Performance Diagnosis is valid for ten years.
Who performs an ECD?
Whether the owner of the dwelling is a lessor or a seller, the DPE is financially dependent on him, and it is up to him to choose a performer. ECD is performed by a certified diagnostician. In fine, this expertise should encourage the owner to increase the energy quality of his property. The diagnostician therefore establishes a list of recommendations for the attention of his client on the improvement work to be carried out to improve the energy performance of the dwelling. It also has the role of evaluating the cost of the necessary work.
What are the control points of an Energy Performance Diagnosis?
The DPE targets three very specific positions, namely:
- The production of hot water,
- heating,
- The recooling.
It relates to 60 checkpoints allowing for example:
- Assess the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Estimate the amount of energy needed. Note that the energy used in the accommodation is specified on a DPE, whether it is gas, fuel oil, electricity, wood and the equipment is described.
- To make a quantified evaluation of the annual expenses.
- To calculate the annual energy consumption (primary and final) in kilowatt hours per square meter.
- Establish an Energy Label to classify the property. This classification is carried out using a letter, from A to G. A means that the energy consumption is low, that the accommodation is therefore economical, and G that the property is energy-intensive. Note that the letter A indicates that the accommodation meets the BBC standard (Low Consumption Building).
Tenants and potential buyers therefore have an interest in giving great importance to all these indications before setting their sights on a property.
Know how to decipher a DPE
To properly read a DPE and understand what it indicates, you must already know that it consists of three very distinct parts.
General information on the property (housing or office space)
This part of the DPE specifies:
- The name and surname of the owner of the property,
- The address of the property subject to the diagnosis,
- The type of building,
- The area of the accommodation or office(s),
- The surname and first name of the diagnostician,
- The name and business name of the company,
- A description of energetic elements such as:
- heaters,
- Domestic hot water appliances,
- Ventilation system,
- Cooling system,
- The type of energy used,
- The annual energy consumption in kWh of all equipment (primary energy and final energy),
- The quantity of greenhouse gases generated by the equipment,
- The diagnostician’s recommendations to improve the energy performance of the property.
To indicate the energy consumption, the professional in charge of carrying out the DPE can either base himself on the thermal losses in order to apply the method of Calculating Conventional Consumption in Housing (this is also called the 3CL method), or based on energy bills for the last three years. He does not choose the mode of realization at random since it is determined, according to the type of good, by the regulations in force.
An energy label
Taking into account the year of construction of the property concerned as well as the geographical area in which it is located, this label indicates the class of good according to his energy levelboth by a letter from A to G and by a color.
- The letter:
- A: consumption of less than 50 kWh of primary energy per square meter and per year (kWhEP/m².year),
- B: between 51 and 90,
- C: from 91 to 150,
- D: between 151 and 230,
- E: from 231 to 330,
- F: between 331 and 450,
- G: consumption greater than 450.
- The colour: it changes from green (housing which consumes little energy) to red (housing which consumes a lot of energy) passing through yellow and orange.
Small useful clarification: the kilowatt hour of primary energy (kWhEP) takes into account the energy required. It therefore differs from the billed electrical kilowatt hour (kWh) indicating the energy consumed.
A climate label
She specifies the climate class and allows you to be informed about the GHG emissions (Greenhouse gas). These are expressed in kilograms of CO2 equivalent per square meter and per year (kgeqCO2/m²/year). Here again, the performances are classified thanks to lettres ranging from A to G and the colors are a gradient from mauve to purple (from faint to darkest). The letters on the climate label therefore indicate:
- A: a GHG emission less than or equal to 5 kgeqCO2/m²/year,
- B: from 6 to 10,
- C: from 11 to 20,
- D: between 21 and 35,
- E: from 36 to 55,
- F: between 56 and 80,
- G: greater than 80.
Thus, at a glance you know if the greenhouse gas emission of a home or office is low or high.
Finally, you should know that the pricing of a DPE is free. So do not hesitate to request multiple quotes through a DPE comparator on line. It is free and without obligation. In any case, this makes it possible to avoid the abusive prices applied by certain unscrupulous professionals, as well as the too low prices suggesting a sloppy study, because an adequate diagnosis takes time. The price varies according to the surface and the type of property (studio, apartment, house), but also to the geographical area. As an indication, it is between 80 and 110 € for a studio, between 100 and 150 € for a 4-room apartment and it is around 120 to 160 € for a 4-room house.