Chile. The Minister of Energy, Ricardo Raineri, and the Undersecretary of Housing and Urbanism, Andrés Iacobelli, announced a new energy certification system for homes, similar to the one used in the efficiency seals of refrigerators and that will begin operating during 2011, within the framework of the Country Energy Efficiency Program of the Ministry of Energy, becoming the first nation in Latin America to implement this system in homes.According to Iacobelli, "the idea is that this program encourages the construction of new homes of higher energy standards, whether private or subsidized. A good energy rating will result in an improvement in thermal conditions inside homes, which affects family health and savings in the payment of basic services, benefits of greater sensitivity in the most vulnerable sectors. "
For his part, Minister Raineri added that "for the Ministry of Energy, energy efficiency represents in an integral way the three pillars of energy policy: security, energy at competitive prices and environmental sustainability."
This certification is a voluntary process which can be carried out in two stages: Pre-Certification of plans and Certification of Finished Work, where requirements for heating, lighting and hot water will be evaluated, delivering information to owners and sellers about the energy performance of their homes.
