Energy performance certificate cost in Germany 2026: what does it really cost?

In short: a consumption certificate (Verbrauchsausweis) costs from 69.90 € online, a demand certificate (Bedarfsausweis) from 119.90 €. With a site visit you pay 300 to 800 €.

Who pays for the energy performance certificate (Energieausweis), when which type is mandatory, what changes on 1 January 2027 and what to look for in terms of quality — all the answers are in this article.

#What does an energy performance certificate cost in 2026?

The cost of an energy performance certificate depends above all on two factors: the certificate type (consumption or demand certificate) and the preparation route (online or with a site visit). Here is the current overview:

Online preparation is considerably cheaper because you enter the building data yourself and no energy consultant has to travel to the property. The certificate is nevertheless legally valid and is registered with the DIBt (Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik, the German Institute for Building Technology).

A note on the name of the law that you will come across when looking things up: since 29 July 2026 the Building Energy Act (Gebäudeenergiegesetz, GEG) has been called the Building Modernisation Act (Gebäudemodernisierungsgesetz, GModG). Only the title was renamed; the section numbers on the energy performance certificate have stayed the same. We write GModG throughout this article; wherever you still read “GEG”, the same law is meant.

What matters, however, is not only the price but what lies behind it: is your order actually checked — or are your data passed through unchecked? With us, every energy performance certificate goes through a multi-stage quality check before it is issued. More on that below.

#Consumption or demand certificate — which costs more?

The consumption certificate is based on the actual energy consumption data of the last three years. It is the simpler variant and therefore cheaper. With us it costs 69.90 €.

The demand certificate assesses the energy quality of the building on the basis of its structural characteristics — independent of occupant behaviour. The calculation according to DIN V 18599 is more complex, which is why it costs 119.90 € with us.

The price difference therefore has a factual reason and is not a surcharge for a better piece of paper: for the consumption certificate, bills are evaluated; for the demand certificate, the building is recalculated component by component — walls, windows, roof, basement and technical systems each enter with their own characteristic values.

The consumption certificate does, however, require that there is something to evaluate at all. Under § 82 (4) GModG, bills covering 36 consecutive months must be available, and the most recent billing period must not be more than 18 months old. If this basis is missing — for instance after a longer vacancy or with a house that has only just been bought — only the demand certificate remains. On 1 January 2027 this requirement drops to 24 months; more on that below.

Which of the two types is permitted for your building and when you may choose freely is explained in detail in the comparison consumption or demand certificate.

#When do you need which certificate?

This assignment applies to certificates issued up to 31 December 2026:

#Online vs. site visit: why the price difference?

An energy performance certificate with a site visit quickly costs 300 to 800 €. The reason: an energy consultant travels to your building, takes measurements, documents heating and insulation and calculates everything themselves. That takes 1–4 hours — plus travel.

With online preparation you enter the building data yourself via a form. The licensed issuer checks your details, prepares the certificate and registers it with the DIBt. You receive your legally valid certificate by e-mail within minutes — no appointment, no waiting.

Legally, the two routes are closer together than the prices suggest — but not because the law dispenses with inspecting the building. § 84 (1) GModG already requires today that the issuer either inspects an existing building on site or has suitable photographs provided.8 The choice is therefore between an inspection and photographs, not between inspection and no inspection. Beyond that: under § 83 GModG the owner provides the data; the issuer checks and validates it and otherwise takes it as correct. If there are doubts about its accuracy, the issuer may not use it (§ 83 (3) sentence 2) — checking is therefore a duty, not a courtesy. That is exactly why the depth of that check is the real quality difference between providers, and not the question of whether someone stood at the door.

On 1 January 2027 this duty merely moves: it will then be in § 83 (1) sentence 3 instead of § 84 (1), and thus under data collection instead of under modernisation recommendations.4 For you as the owner nothing changes in substance — anyone who sends photographs today will send them in 2027 too.

The site visit is worthwhile where you need more than the certificate anyway: for a planned renovation, for an individual renovation roadmap, or when documents on the building are missing and someone has to record the components. For the mere proof required when selling or letting, you are above all paying for travel and working time.

#How does online preparation work with us?

A low price does not mean less care with us. Every order at Immobilienwerker goes through a multi-stage checking process:

#Who pays for the energy performance certificate?

The owner bears the cost. This follows from § 80 GModG:1 whoever is obliged to have the certificate issued must also pay for it.

In concrete terms:

• When letting: the landlord pays. The cost may not be passed on to tenants — the energy performance certificate is not listed as a recoverable item in the German Operating Costs Ordinance (Betriebskostenverordnung, BetrKV).
• When selling: in principle the seller pays. Contractually, however, the cost can be transferred to the buyer.
• Owners’ associations (WEG): the owners’ association bears the cost jointly.

#Deducting the cost for tax purposes

Landlords can deduct the cost of the certificate as income-related expenses (Werbungskosten) against their income from letting and leasing (§ 9 (1) of the Income Tax Act, EStG). The cost is claimed in full in the year of payment — no capitalisation over several years is needed.

Keep the invoice as evidence for the tax office.

Owner-occupiers can neither deduct the cost as income-related expenses nor claim it under § 35a EStG — not even if the certificate was prepared with a site visit. The tax authorities list the “Energiepass” in Annex 1 to the Federal Ministry of Finance circular on § 35a EStG expressly in the column not eligible, with reference to paragraph 20; there is no reservation for on-site preparation.9 The reason is the nature of the service: the certificate is an expert and planning service, not a tradesman’s or household-related service. It only becomes deductible in a different context — for instance under § 35c EStG, when an energy-efficiency measure is actually carried out.

#What happens without a valid certificate?

Anyone who cannot present a valid energy performance certificate when selling, letting or leasing commits a regulatory offence. Under § 108 (2) no. 2 GModG a fine of up to 10,000 € may be imposed.2

This also applies to:

• Incorrect or incomplete details in the certificate
• Missing mandatory details in property advertisements (energy efficiency class, energy demand/consumption, type of heating, year of construction)
• Failure to hand over the certificate after the contract is concluded

Under § 79 (3) GModG a certificate is valid for 10 years. After that a new one must be prepared — an extension is not possible.

#What changes on 1 January 2027?

The Building Modernisation Act transposes the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) into German law. The deadline for that expired on 29 May 2026 — Germany missed it and only promulgated the Act in July 2026. The part concerning the energy performance certificate is in Article 2 and applies from 1 January 2027.4 The federal GEG information portal keeps the full course of the procedure with all printed papers.

For owners of a residential building, four points matter:

#The A to G scale does not apply to residential buildings

This confusion is currently widespread, even in the trade press. What is correct: the Act does introduce the Europe-wide uniform scale A to G, but exclusively for non-residential buildings — it is set out in the new Annex 10a and applied via § 86 (3) GModG.4 Only a building that causes no emissions from fossil energy at its location may be placed in class A there.

For residential buildings the familiar scale from A+ to H under Annex 10 remains. In that table the legislator only clarified the reference area, not the class boundaries. Your detached house will therefore be placed in the same nine classes after 2027 as today.

#Demand and consumption certificates get new names

From 2027 the demand certificate is called in the Act “energy performance certificate based on an energy balance” (§ 81 GModG) and the consumption certificate “energy performance certificate based on measured final energy consumption” (§ 82 GModG). The same two procedures are meant. The established short names remain common in everyday use, and the mandatory details in property advertisements continue to state which of the two procedures was applied.

For non-residential buildings, by contrast, the consumption certificate is abolished entirely: from 2027 they only receive a certificate based on the energy balance. Anyone who owns a mixed-use building should note this point — the cheaper route will no longer be open there.

#Will energy performance certificates become more expensive in future?

Much suggests that the cost of certificates will rise in the long term. The reasons:

• New calculation basis from 2027: calculations will in future follow DIN/TS 18599: 2025-10 instead of DIN V 18599, with a new reference building and new primary energy factors. Every issuer’s software has to be converted and re-tested for this. A side effect owners should know: the same house may afterwards land in a different efficiency class without anything having been renovated.
• Extended duties under the EPBD: certificates fall due in more cases — for instance when a tenancy, lease or leasing contract is extended (§ 80 (3) GModG). In addition, the certificate must be issued digitally and machine-readable.
• Stricter documentation duties: the Act requires issuers to check the data basis carefully (§ 83 GModG). An issuer who issues without authorisation or incorrectly risks fines of up to 10,000 € (§ 108 GModG). Reputable providers therefore invest in quality assurance — and that has its price.
• CO₂ accounting: since May 2021 certificates must also state a building’s greenhouse gas emissions. That increases the calculation effort.
• Mandatory DIBt registration: every certificate must be registered with the German Institute for Building Technology — with registration fees for the issuer.

In short: the legislator demands ever more care, documentation and checking effort from issuers. That is good for quality — but it pushes prices up. Providers offering certificates for 20 or 30 € today can hardly meet these requirements seriously.

#What to look for when choosing a provider

The cheapest certificate is not automatically the best. What matters is whether your details are actually checked before the certificate is issued.

Because § 83 GModG splits the responsibility: for the data you as the owner provide, you must make sure it is correct; for the data the issuer determines themselves, the issuer is liable. Behind both sides stands the same fine of up to 10,000 €. In practice this means: what you enter in the form falls back on you — and a provider who does not check your details leaves you alone with that risk. If the buyer or tenant later finds errors, a claim for damages comes on top.

So look out for:

#Conclusion: this is what your certificate costs in 2026

The cost of an energy performance certificate is manageable — especially online:

The price alone says little about quality, though. Make sure your provider actually checks the data, uses a licensed issuer and registers the certificate properly with the DIBt. With us that is standard — including a multi-stage quality check and free corrections within 6 weeks.

Order a consumption certificate from 69.90 € or order a demand certificate from 119.90 € — legally valid under the GModG, checked in several stages, over 11,300 satisfied customers.