Label C for offices

For offices, a statutory minimum has applied since 1 January 2023: at least energy label C. If your building does not meet this, in principle it may no longer be used as an office. Below you can read what the obligation entails, which exceptions there are and how to ensure your building demonstrably complies.

What does the label C obligation entail

Since 1 January 2023, an office building must have at least energy label C, with an energy index of no more than 1.3. The competent authority, usually the municipality or the environmental agency, supervises and can enforce if a building does not comply.

The obligation applies to buildings that predominantly have an office function. The label must be valid and officially registered in EP-Online, the national register of RVO. An internal report or an old estimate alone is not sufficient; it must be a current, registered label.

Exceptions

The obligation does not apply in all cases. Important exceptions are:

• Office space smaller than 100 m² of usable floor area.
• Buildings that are part of a larger whole in which the office portion accounts for less than half.
• National, provincial or municipal monuments.
• Buildings that will be demolished, transformed or expropriated within two years.

What happens if you do not comply

If an office does not meet label C, the competent authority can enforce. In practice this often begins with a warning and a period to remedy the situation, but it can escalate to an order subject to a penalty or even a ban on using the building as an office.

Besides the legal risk, the market plays a role. Financiers, tenants and buyers increasingly ask for a valid label, and a building that does not comply is harder to rent, sell or finance. Putting it in order in good time not only prevents enforcement, but also protects the value of the property.

How to obtain a valid label

A valid office label is preceded by an inspection by a certified EP-W advisor. In broad terms, this proceeds as follows:

• On-site inspection of the building shell and the systems.
• Calculation of the energy performance using the NTA8800 method.
• Advice on the measures needed to achieve at least label C.
• Registration of the final label in EP-Online (RVO).

From C to future-proof

The label C obligation is a minimum. Work is underway on further tightening towards label A for offices. It therefore pays to look beyond label C now and make the building future-proof in one go.

An EP-W inspection with a sustainability recommendation shows which steps are needed and in what order they deliver the most. This way you combine complying with the current obligation with a building that also continues to meet the requirements in the years ahead and has lower energy costs.