Energy Performance Certificate: What It Is, When You Need One and How to Get It

If you’re thinking about selling, renting out or applying for a holiday rental licence for your property in Spain, chances are you’ll need an Energy Performance Certificate (CEE — Certificado de Eficiencia Energética). But what exactly is it? When is it mandatory? And how do you get one?

In this article, we explain everything in a clear and practical way.

What Is an Energy Performance Certificate?

An Energy Performance Certificate is an official document that assesses a property’s energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. The result is expressed as an energy label ranging from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) — similar to the labels you see on household appliances.

The certificate includes:

• Energy rating of the property (A to G)
• Estimated annual energy consumption
• Associated CO₂ emissions
• Improvement recommendations to increase efficiency

When Is It Mandatory?

The CEE is mandatory in Spain in the following cases:

• Selling a property: required since 2013 for any home, commercial premises or office put up for sale.
• Renting a property: for both long-term and holiday or tourist rentals.
• Applying for a tourist licence: it’s one of the documents required by Spain’s autonomous communities to grant the licence.
• Public buildings over 250 m².

Did you know? In Catalonia, obtaining a tourist rental licence requires a valid CEE. Without one, you cannot even begin the application process.

How Long Is It Valid?

The CEE is valid for 10 years from the date of issue. After that period, it must be renewed. However, if you carry out renovations that improve energy efficiency (such as installing solar panels, upgrading insulation or replacing the heating system), it may be worth getting a new certificate to reflect the improvements.

How Do You Get One?

The process is straightforward:

1. Contact a certified technician — an architect, engineer or authorised specialist.
2. Property inspection — the technician visits your home and assesses floor areas, orientation, insulation, windows, heating and cooling systems, hot water, etc.
3. Certificate preparation — using officially approved software.
4. Registration — the certificate is filed with the relevant body of the autonomous community. In Catalonia, registration is done through ICAEN (Institut Català d’Energia) (website in Spanish/Catalan). You can look up existing certificates via the Generalitat’s certificate search tool.
5. Energy label — once registered, ICAEN reviews and issues the official label.

How Can You Improve Your Energy Rating?

If your property has a low rating (E, F or G), there are several measures that can improve it significantly:

• 🔆 Solar panel installation — photovoltaic energy directly reduces grid consumption and improves the rating.
• 🏠 Better insulation — double-glazed windows, wall and roof insulation.
• 🌡️ Efficient climate systems — heat pumps, aerothermal systems or underfloor heating.
• 💡 LED lighting — lower consumption, higher efficiency.
• 🔋 Storage batteries — maximise solar self-consumption.

Tax Deductions for Improving Energy Efficiency

If you are a tax resident in Spain and carry out works to improve the energy efficiency of your home, you can benefit from significant deductions on your income tax return (IRPF). These deductions are available until 31 December 2026, extended by RDL 16/2025. Full details are available on the Spanish Tax Agency’s page on energy efficiency deductions (in Spanish).

Three Types of Deductions

1. Reduction of heating and cooling demand — 20%

• Requirement: reduce heating and cooling demand by at least 7%.
• Maximum base: €5,000 → up to €1,000 back.

2. Improvement of non-renewable primary energy consumption — 40%

• Requirement: reduce non-renewable primary energy consumption by at least 30%, or achieve an A or B rating.
• Maximum base: €7,500 → up to €3,000 back.
• 💡 This is the most relevant deduction for solar panel installations, as they directly reduce non-renewable energy consumption.

3. Energy rehabilitation of residential buildings — 60%

• For works on entire buildings (e.g. façade insulation, replacement of a communal boiler).
• Maximum base: €5,000/year, up to a cumulative €15,000 → up to €9,000 back.
• The homeowners’ association pays for the work, but each owner deducts their share in proportion to their participation coefficient, on their individual tax return.

Key Requirement: Two Energy Certificates

To claim any of these deductions, you must prove that energy efficiency has improved. This requires:

1. A CEE issued before the works (valid if no more than 2 years old).
2. A CEE issued after the works, demonstrating the improvement.

Without these two certificates, the deduction cannot be applied. So if you’re planning a solar installation or any energy upgrade, request the certificate before starting the works.

Who Can Benefit?

• ✅ Tax residents in Spain — individuals who live in Spain for more than 183 days per year and file a Spanish income tax return (IRPF).
• ❌ Non-tax residents — foreign property owners who pay tax through the IRNR (Modelo 210) cannot apply these deductions. The IRNR does not include deductions for energy efficiency.

Important for foreign property owners: If you own a second home in Spain but are tax resident in another country, unfortunately these deductions do not apply to you — the Modelo 210 (IRNR) (in Spanish) does not provide for them. Nevertheless, improving your property’s energy efficiency increases its value and reduces your utility costs.

Request Your Energy Performance Certificate

At Sunfort Solar, we help you obtain your CEE quickly and professionally. And if your rating isn’t what you expected, we can advise you on the best options to improve your property’s energy efficiency — from solar panels to comprehensive climate solutions.

If you’re a tax resident and want to take advantage of the deductions, we’ll help you plan everything: pre-works certificate, installation and post-works certificate, all coordinated so you can claim on your tax return.

📞 Prefer to call? +34 872 580 022 📧 Or email us: info@sunfortsolar.com