Minimum energy efficiency standards have already come into force. If a public or private building is larger than 50 square meters, it must meet the energy efficiency standards stipulated in the Law on Energy Efficiency approved by the Parliament of Georgia in 2020.
In the next stage of this reform, buildings will be assigned an energy class by a person holding the appropriate qualifications.
Regulation is now being written to ensure that expertise in energy efficiency is established in the country. To achieve this, three new certified or accredited professions will be introduced, namely energy auditor, energy inspector, and heating and cooling systems inspector.
For a building to be put into operation, it will be necessary for an energy inspection to be carried out and for an energy certificate to be issued. The document will indicate the energy class of the building and must be posted in a visible place, usually the entrance, so that everyone knows the energy class of the building they live or work in.
The abovementioned professions will be regulated. Depending on the job, a person must undergo appropriate training and pass an exam. A system will also be introduced which outlines how buildings are to be expected and how classifications are issued.
Furthermore, there will be an authority responsible for verifying the correctness of the certificates issued. If discrepancies are detected, the license of the issuer to practice this profession may be revoked. This will diminish the motivation for issuing fraudulent certificates.
Monitoring will be conducted by the Ministry of Economy. Vakhtang Begashvili, the Senior Advisor of the international energy consulting company INTEC, speculates that a new department may be established to coordinate this process.
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