ᐅ When should we buy? – Energy Saving Regulation effective from May 1

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are about to purchase an older farmhouse; it’s already decided that this will be the one since it is located right next to my parents’ house and land.

My question:
Starting May 1, the new energy-saving regulation comes into effect. The seller wants the purchase contract to be notarized before then... which is understandable, as then he doesn’t have to pay for the energy certificate. On one hand, that works well for us because the sooner we can start renovating, the better. But are there any disadvantages or advantages for me? Or would it be better to buy before or after May 1? Some of you might be more familiar with this kind of situation than I am.

Thanks in advance for your information,

Best regards,
Chris

Does the timing of the purchase change your decision? Since you definitely want to buy and then renovate, just go ahead and do it without waiting. By the way, an energy certificate is just a piece of paper with theoretical values that only partially reflect YOUR actual energy consumption.

Yes, that’s true, it doesn’t change my decision. I was just concerned that once the house is assessed, there might sooner or later be requirements related to facade insulation, and so on.

At the moment, no one really knows what energy values each house has?

As far as I know, starting May 1st, the only change is that heating systems installed before the "reunification" must be replaced... but that doesn’t affect my situation since the oil heating system is about 15 years old and we plan to install a new wood gasification boiler anyway.

What are your thoughts on possible future requirements?