FAQ

In general, it is the owner of the building or the co-ownership management body that submits the request for aid for obtaining a sustainability certificate. 

A developer is therefore eligible for financial aid if, at the time of application, they are the owner of the building (or hold a share of the building). The establishment grant will no longer be available to future owners of lots for which the developer has already received financial aid. 

The amount of the establishment grant is as follows: 

• if the developer is a sole proprietor and if the “vertical land registry” (a descriptive statement on the division of the private lots and the common parts of a building under a co-ownership regime) has not yet been created: establishment grant of €1,500;
• if the developer is the sole owner and if the vertical land registry has been created: establishment grant of €750 per apartment/housing unit without exceeding the actual costs. 

A LENOZ certificate can be issued for all residential buildings with an energy passport, whether they are new or existing residential buildings. Issuance of the certificate is associated with Class 4 "minimum sustainability" (Chapter 0.2 of the Annex to the Grand Ducal Regulation on housing sustainability certification). Existing residential buildings can achieve this "minimum sustainability" by means of comprehensive retrofitting works.

An invoice with certificate of conformity and estimate/detailed explanation should be provided by each company involved in carrying out the work.

In order to simplify administrative matters, the certificates of conformity provided by the Environmental Administration can replace the detailed specifications/explanations and certificates of conformity of companies. The related invoices must be attached.

The certificates complementary to the Environmental Administration NCLD sheet can be downloaded here.

A sustainable dwelling for which planning permission is sought between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022 can be subsidised under the Klimabonus scheme if it achieves at least 60% of the maximum number of points that can actually be achieved per category for 46 LENOZ criteria in three categories.

The following requirements apply for sustainability criteria 4.1.1 and 5.8.1:

- 4.1.1. Environmental assessment of building materials:

• a minimum of 24 out of 40 points must be achieved;
• a minimum of 21 out of 40 points must be achieved for buildings with at least three floors above the ground floor;

- 5.8.1 Assembly and dismantling capacity:

• 2017: a minimum of 6 out of 10 points must be achieved;
• 2018: a minimum of 8 out of 10 points must be achieved;
• 2019: 100% subsidy for a minimum of 10 out of 10 points; 80% of the total subsidy for a minimum of 8 out of 10 points.

(Technical details regarding the LENOZ 4.1 and 4.2 criteria) (Technical details regarding the LENOZ 5.8 criterion)

Since 1 January 2017, every new construction of a residential building in Luxembourg must be a Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) in terms of energy consumption. As a rule, the NZEB corresponds to the AAA energy classes. However, certain conditions relating to the construction location may cause variations in these energy classes.

Architects and consulting engineers, whose profession is defined by the law of 13 December 1989 organising the professions of architect and consulting engineer, as well as all experts approved by the Ministry of the Economy, can issue energy performance certificates

• Demolition: sale of a ruin or a building that does not have a heating installation and which will be demolished after purchase.
• Inheritance or gift.

• New building: any building that is subject to a building permit application. (A feasibility study concerning the use of renewable energies should be appended to the building permit application.)
• Extension of an existing building.
• Modification of an existing building (building permit required), if the surface area of the modified element of the thermal envelope exceeds the surface area of the same existing element (walls, windows, roof, etc.) by 10% and if the modification has an impact on the energy performance of the building. (Issuance of an energy performance certificate for the new planned situation.)
• Substantial alterations to an existing building (without a building permit), if the surface area of the altered element of the thermal envelope exceeds the surface area of the same existing element (walls, windows, roof, etc.) by 10% and if the alteration has an impact on the energy performance of the building. (Issuance of an energy performance certificate for the new planned situation.)
• Change of owner or tenant.
• Demolition: sale of a building that will be demolished after purchase, if the building has a heating installation, exterior walls and a roof.
• Modification of technical facilities, if the modifications of these technical facilities exceed €1,500 (for a single-family house) or €3,000 (for a multi-family house).

The energy performance certificate is a regulatory obligation, therefore no subsidy is provided for its establishment.
The energy performance certificate is issued according to precise rules set out in the amended Grand Ducal Regulation of 30 November 2007 on the energy performance of residential buildings. It is valid for 10 years from the day of its issue. The issuance of an energy performance certificate and the information it contains shall not result in any direct obligation for energy retrofitting.