FAQ

As is the case for buildings along the municipal public domain, buildings along the State road (national road and State-managed road) must, within the framework of the building permit application procedure, comply with the municipal urban planning regulations on setbacks.

For constructions located in the vicinity of the State public domain at a distance of 25 metres from a national road (N) or at a distance of 10 metres from a State-managed road (CR), established from the property line, a road permit is required from the Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure. As part of a road permit, provisions regarding the setbacks of buildings in relation to the road will be applied. These may differ from the setbacks set by the municipalities.

• 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.

The energy performance certificate (EPC) or energy passport is the quality label that defines the energy performance of a residential building. The certificate provides information on the energy efficiency of residential buildings and thus allows comparisons to be made with other residential buildings. Thus, even without technical knowledge, the consumer can assess the energy quality of a residential building.

The obligated parties have a certain degree of freedom in their choice of energy efficiency measures. In order to guide their services, they can achieve energy savings either through standardised measures or specific measures. The standardised measures set out different example cases and set flat-rate energy saving values for the following families of measures:

•  Thermal envelope of buildings (walls, windows, roofs, slabs)
• Heat production
• Mechanical ventilation
• Household appliances
• Office equipment
• Lighting
• Transversal industrial techniques (motors, pumps, ventilation, compressed air, boilers, refrigeration)
• Management energy
• Transport (replacement of cars).

Energy efficiency measures not included in the catalogue of measures are to be considered as specific measures, which cannot be accounted for by the obligated parties in case of certain calculation principles and if no standardised measures are applicable.

In order to claim for energy efficiency measures, the obligated parties must demonstrate that they have played an incentive role in carrying out the measures. This means that they must support the consumer who carries out the measure in question with a direct contribution. For example, this incentive might take the form of advice, technical support or a financial contribution. These incentives must be provided before the consumer orders the measure in question.

The obligated parties are electricity and natural gas suppliers active in Luxembourg.
Please check the website of the Luxembourg Regulatory Institute for a complete list of these suppliers.

To initiate energy efficiency measures, the obligated parties are free to act themselves or to use third party implementers.

In principle, the energy savings that can be accounted for by the obligated parties can be in any energy carrier, including fuels, oil, natural gas and electricity.