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Its quite a mixed bag as it turns out, but updates have now been published by European Commission about the latest status of the EPBD Implementation in Germany, Bulgaria and Lithuania and interesting reading it makes too!

Lets refresh ourselves with what the EU Directive actually says:

The Energy performance certificate is stated in article 7 of the directive as follow:

Member States shall ensure that, when buildings are constructed, sold or rented out, an energy performance certificate is made available to the owner or by the owner to the prospective buyer or tenant, as the case might be. The validity of the certificate shall not exceed 10 years.

Certification for apartments or units designed for separate use in blocks may be based on a common certification of the whole building for blocks with a common heating system, or on the assessment of another representative apartment in the same block.


The German entry

You can find a full report of the progress of Germany in implementing the EPBD here.

Interesting to note that Certificates may be issued for all buildings by architects and engineers of building-related disciplines and by other engineers and natural scientists with a building-related field of study, who have learned about energy efficient building either during their study, or who have a related professional experience of at least two years.

Certificates for residential buildings only may be issued by master craftsmen or persons of equal qualification of crafts related to building and building appliances (including chimney sweepers), who have successfully attended further vocational training. In addition, by persons, who are authorised to perform energetic calculations for new buildings according to the building codes of the federal state - within the scope of their authorisation.


The Lithuanian entry

You can find a full report of the progress of Lithuania in implementing the EPBD here.

And so you think we had a shortage of energy assessors here, Lithuania started the Qualified Experts for Certification of energy performance of buildings on November, 2006. Up to May 2008 there is a group of 191 qualified experts.

594 certificates of the energy performance for new buildings were issued in Lithuania by May 2008. The cost of the certificate depends on size of the building (apartment) and is determined by the market.

And how would one qualify for this rare form of employment in a country with a population of around 3.4mil? The main qualifications requirements for experts for building certification:

Construction engineer diploma with three years experience in construction
Special 32 hours training courses
Required certification of three buildings as practical experience.

The Bulgarian entry

You can find a full report of the progress of Bulgaria in implementing the EPBD here.

Fascinating to compare the training requirements with the rogue training providers we seem to be blighted with at the moment with their 'train in a weekend' advertising. Here is what the Bulgarians have to say about things:

The minimum mandatory scope of the educational plan for qualification course on buildings energy efficiency audits and certification includes (cont.):

A. Lectures (45 hours)
Specific requirements of EE normative base;
Building types and characteristics;
Principles of heat transference;
Measuring of hydraulic, heat and electrical values;
Stages, subject and characteristics of energy efficiency audit in buildings;
BDS EN 832 and EN ISO 13790 method for determination of energy consumption in buildings;
Basis and characteristics of the software;
Economic valuation of energy saving measures;
Fundamental principal and norms for EE in the basic sub-system groups of the building;
Fuels. Fuel processes and systems.
Hot water and steam boilers. Combustion systems.
Steam condense systems
Subscriber stations for centralized heat supply.
Aggregates for cogeneration.
Heat systems.
Ventilation and air conditioners.
Pumps and fans.
Thermal pumps.
Solar systems.
Lighting systems.
Aggregates energy supply.
Thermal processes regulation.
System for monitoring and energy costs management.
Certificate for EE of a building

B) Exercise (15 hours)
Gathering information, energy analysis of a building, database, evaluation of the potential for decreasing energy consumption;
Model of building and system with a special software;
Economic valuation of energy conservation measures with the software.

C. Individual Project of building energy analysis and energy certificate (30 hours )

Some fairly comprehensive learning required there then, although 45 hours covered those topics in detail would be significantly more than any British training provider has been providing to meet the syllabus.

So in summary, looks to me like other countries have struggled to implement the European Performance of Buildings Directive or have intepreted the regulations in different ways.