There are different certificates that measure the sustainability of a building and its impact on the environment. In this blog, some time ago, we wrote an article saying that from 2021 onward, all new construction must have nearly zero energy consumption. This measure, which was approved by the European Union, has meant a before and after regarding construction in Europe. Therefore, it guarantees that every building constructed from that date onwards makes a commitment to sustainability. These buildings must take into account renewable energies as well as the avoidance of the emission of greenhouse gases, as both are indispensable measures to create a balance between urban development and the respect for the environment. Regarding certificates, we must make a distinction between energy performance certificates and those that measure the sustainability of buildings. Even though these two certificates are very similar, they are not exactly the same. The energy performance certificates measure the energy that the building consumes; that is, its energy efficiency. Whereas, the certificates that measure the sustainability of a building, are one step ahead. This is because apart from paying attention to the energy that the building consumes, these certificates also focus on the pollution that it may generate, such as water consumption, the type of materials that were used in its construction and its generating waste, as well as other factors.

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATIONS

We already know that, currently, housing must be sustainable. Nowadays, investors take very much into account that the property they wish to purchase fulfills the requirements as regards sustainability. This is the reason why sustainable energy certifications exist. In other words: they are official documents which describe the energy-efficiency of the property. Normally, these documents are issued by the respective Autonomous Communities. However, there are also other documents which are issued by private companies which apart from measuring the energy-efficiency of the building, they also analyse its sustainability. Let´s take a look at the three most prominent ones.

• BREEAM®: this certificate evaluates no less than 49 requirements which are divided into 10 different categories. The sum of all these characteristics serve to get an exact idea of the degree of sustainability of the building: the water and energy consumption, the type of materials used in its construction as well as their degree of toxicity, the kind of acoustical and thermal insulation and so on. Breeam®, puts on the table all these facts in order to favour the construction of buildings which respect the planet.

• PASSIVHAUS: in this blog, we have already written about passive housing. These certicates measure passive construction techniques related to ventilation as well as acoustical and thermal insulation. Passive housing construction uses bioclimatic architectural resources to achieve maximum  energy- efficiency.

• LEED: in this blog, we have also written about this certificate. It is about a label which was carried out by the United States Green Building Council and is used since 1993. It serves the purpose of certifying the sustainability of a building on the basis of nine different categories. Currently, this certification system is very often used in order to guarantee the sustainability of the building.