2023-12-02 09:32:00
An identical property in every respect, whether located in Flanders, Brussels or Wallonia, will not obtain the same PEB certification. “This is one of the big problems with the system in Belgium,” says Olivier Hamal, president of the National Union of Owners and Co-owners. We note that the way of calculating the PEB differs from one region to another. Worse, depending on the certifiers, it can also be different. We might even have different PEBs on one side or the other of the street, depending on whether the building is in one region or the other. This is obviously absurd.”
In reality, however, this has serious consequences for owners or prospective buyers. “A timetable, also different depending on the region, has been established (even if it has not yet been voted on in Wallonia and Brussels) to prevent buyers and owners who wish to rent a property from reaching a certain level of PEB at different deadlines. These calendars arise from European directives and so we are uncomfortable saying whether this is a good thing or not. But the biggest problem is that these calendars were established by theorists who focus on the rental market. However, if we take the case of Wallonia, of the approximately 1,678,583 housing units, 1,124,650 are occupied by the owner. And, for 2028 in Wallonia and 2031 in Brussels, all housing must have a PEB, something that owners are still unaware of. In the absence of a PEB certificate, the owner is liable to a fine of €1,000. Furthermore, unless these owners follow in terms of energy renovation, it will be difficult to achieve the objectives planned for 2050.”
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Depending on the region, the PEB level to be achieved and the deadline for achieving it differ. But it will be an obligation for any new purchasing owner and for any owner who rents out or re-rents a property. “The problem is that the work to be undertaken to achieve the objectives set in the different regional calendars is expensive. Most owners simply cannot afford them. The public authorities promise aid, subsidies or bonuses, but when we see that current budgets are already exhausted, the ambitions simply seem impossible to achieve. It is estimated that it takes between €20,000 and €30,000 to upgrade a home. The owners clearly do not have the means and the public authorities will not be able to keep up either.”
La jungle des PEB ©IPM Graphics
For Olivier Hamal, it will be necessary to review the copy of the phasing of the PEB labels to be achieved and also provide for exceptions. “One of the big problems is believing that the owner always has the choice to carry out work. It may be true, as long as he has the means, if he owns a house and decides to change the frames, to insulate the roof or the walls, he is free to do so. In a condominium, on the other hand, it’s something entirely different. To improve the energy performance of his apartment, an owner will generally have to start work affecting the common areas such as the facade, the boiler or the roof and will therefore have to obtain approval from the co-ownership. And if certain deadbeats do not vote in favor of the work, they will be penalized despite their intention to make their apartment less energy-intensive. In France, this type of exception has therefore been considered and it is necessary that we do the same in Belgium.”
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These different timetables and obligations to reach a certain level of PEB might also have an impact on real estate prices because a candidate buyer will not necessarily have the means to carry out the work and will then wish to lower the price of the property. to respect its overall budget. Not to mention that, given regional regulations, achieving the recommended PEB is not always easy, or even feasible. “This is also the whole aberration of certification as it is currently done. It only takes into account theoretical consumption and not actual consumption. And the gap between the two is sometimes enormous. Personally, I had an audit done for my house when we wanted to change the frames. The auditor was very annoyed because, according to the PEB, I should have consumed 25,000 liters of fuel oil per year, whereas I only consume 5,000!”
For Olivier Hamal, it is therefore essential to review the criteria which make it possible to establish the PEB and to harmonize them between the regions. “It is, for example, not normal for a home which has electric heating to be condemned to PEB G for life. What signal do the authorities want to send when they are advocating electric cars? There is a difference in logic that escapes us. Here too, France is one step ahead of Belgium and has gone backwards. Just like on properties with a “bad” PEB which cannot be (re)rented. This would result in hundreds of thousands of homes being excluded from the circuit.” A measure that would be far from resolving the housing crisis…
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