Energy audit and CPE: what is the difference and when you need each

Many owners ask for "an energy audit" when what they actually need is an energy performance certificate (CPE), and the other way round. For the attested auditor, the confusion costs time: the document requested is not the one that answers the client's need. This guide separates the two documents on the basis of the official texts: Law no. 372/2005 on the energy performance of buildings and Mc 001-2022.

What is an energy audit and what is the audit report?

Law 372/2005, in art. 3 point 21, defines the energy audit of a building as the set of activities by which data and technical information are obtained on the energy consumption profile of an existing building or building unit, followed by the identification of solutions for increasing energy performance, the quantification of the change in consumption resulting from the proposed solutions and the assessment of their economic efficiency through economic indicators, an activity concluded with the audit report. The energy audit report (art. 3 point 22) describes how the audit was carried out, the main thermal and energy characteristics of the building, the proposed measures and the conclusions on their economic efficiency and on the payback period of the investment.

Mc 001-2022 (chapter 6) says the same thing from the perspective of purpose: identifying the thermal and energy characteristics of the construction and of the installations and establishing, technically and economically, the energy renovation solutions. In short, the audit answers the question "what can be done and how much is it worth?".

What is a CPE?

The energy performance certificate is prepared and issued by the energy auditor for buildings and is valid for 10 years from the date entered in the certificate, unless a building with a valid certificate undergoes major renovation works that change its consumption (art. 21 para. (2)). It contains calculated values of primary and final energy consumption and of CO₂ emissions (para. (5)) and recommendations for reducing consumption, with an estimate of the energy savings (para. (6)). In short, the CPE answers the question "how much does the building consume, under standardised conditions, and in which class does it fall?" The recommendations in the CPE are not a substitute for a full technical and economic analysis.

The two documents, side by side

| | Energy audit report | CPE | |---|---|---| | What it shows | energy condition, renovation solutions, their economic efficiency | calculated energy performance and the class | | Buildings covered | existing (art. 3 point 21) | existing and new, at the moments in art. 21 para. (1) | | Who prepares it | energy auditor for buildings, grade I (Order MDLPA 348/2026, art. 6 para. (1) lit. b)) | energy auditor for buildings, grade I or, in the cases in art. 6 para. (2), grade II | | Validity set by law | not provided for in the texts read here | 10 years, except for major renovation | | Role in compliance verification | mandatory document for the permitting of renovation works (Mc 001-2022, point 2.2.1) | mandatory document at the acceptance of the works |

When is each prepared?

The CPE is required for buildings that are constructed, sold, rented or subject to major renovations, for the categories in art. 7 para. (1), as well as for buildings of public authorities or of institutions providing public services and for those of over 250 sq m occupied by a public authority and frequently visited by the public (art. 21 para. (1)).

The audit report comes into play especially at renovation. Art. 11 para. (2) states that the technical documentation prepared for the permitting of major renovation works develops the measures provided for in the energy audit report. Major renovation has a legal definition (art. 3 point 9): works on the building envelope and/or on the technical systems, whose costs exceed 25% of the taxable value of the building, excluding the value of the land. Mc 001-2022 (chapter 2, point 2.2.1, page 58 of Official Gazette no. 46 bis/17.I.2023) lists the mandatory documents at the verification stages: for renovated buildings, at the permitting of the renovation works, the energy audit report, and at the acceptance of the works, the energy performance certificate.

There is also a borderline case. For the buildings in art. 8 para. (1) (for example protected monuments whose character would be unacceptably altered by the requirements, temporary buildings for at most 2 years or stand-alone buildings under 50 sq m), art. 21 para. (4), in the form given by Law no. 238/2024, states: "the energy performance certificate may be prepared at the written and justified request of the beneficiary/administrator/owner and works may be carried out to increase energy performance. In this case, an energy audit report must also be prepared." (our translation) From "may be prepared" it follows that the CPE is not mandatory for these buildings; as for the audit report, the text ties it to the situation described in the two preceding sentences, and in case of doubt you should check the classification with the text of the law in front of you. For the buildings in art. 8 para. (2) (industrial and agricultural, outdoor garages, open spaces) neither a CPE nor an audit report is prepared.

Who can prepare each document

Order MDLPA no. 348/2026 (Official Gazette no. 292/14.04.2026), in the annex on attestation, art. 6, divides the competences by grade. The grade I auditor prepares the CPE for all categories of buildings and building units that are constructed, sold, rented or subject to energy renovation, carries out the energy audit and prepares the audit report for existing buildings subject to energy renovation (para. (1) lit. a) and b)). The grade II auditor prepares the CPE only for single-family dwellings and residential blocks that are constructed, as well as for single-family dwellings and apartments in blocks that are sold or rented (para. (2)); the audit report is not among his or her competences. For details on the grades, read the guide to Order 348/2026.

Example: the 1965 house in Cluj-Napoca (M2)

The M2 demonstration is a single-family house from 1965, with solid brick masonry without insulation, in climate zone III, placed in class D. The owner has two distinct situations.

1. Selling the house. The owner needs a CPE, which is made available to the buyer. An audit report is not needed. The CPE can be prepared by a grade I or a grade II auditor (art. 6 para. (2) of the annex to Order 348/2026). 2. Wanting an extensive energy renovation (if the works exceed the 25% threshold in art. 3 point 9, it is a major renovation). The owner needs an audit report, which compares the insulation and installation options and assesses them economically, and a grade I auditor. The report feeds the technical documentation for permitting, in the case of works that require a building permit (Law no. 50/1991 exempts from the permit, under art. 11 para. (1) lit. j) point 2, some energy rehabilitation works on the envelope of individual dwellings with at most 3 levels, so check the classification). After the works a new CPE is issued, reflecting the changed consumption; the old certificate no longer describes the building if the works were a major renovation.

Note that the same building produces different documents depending on the purpose. The data surveyed once (areas, constructions, installations) feeds both documents; what differs is the analysis applied to them.

The roadmap: a close relative of the audit

Art. 3 point 35 defines the roadmap as the personalised plan for energy renovation in stages, with a carbon emission savings target set together with the owner, and specifies that it is obtained through the energy audit activity of the building. It is not a CPE and does not replace it.

Common errors

• A CPE is issued for a renovation and the audit report is left out of the permitting file.
• The old certificate is left in force after a major renovation that changed the consumption; in this case the law requires a new certificate.
• The client is promised an "audit" when a CPE is delivered. The two documents have different content and purpose.
• A CPE is handed over without a unique registration code. According to art. 21 para. (8), certificates issued without a unique registration code issued by the competent ministry are null and void by law.
• An audit report is assigned to a grade II auditor, although art. 6 of the annex to Order 348/2026 includes it only at grade I.
• The cases in art. 8 are ignored, where the obligation depends on the category of the building.

How a calculation program helps

The same set of input data serves both documents. The program does not replace the field survey or the responsibility of the attested auditor, and Zephren has no official validation from MDLPA. What it can do is avoid re-entering data and generate the documents in the required format. You can go through the workflow on your own data in the Zephren calculation program, with the free trial.

*Verified on 12 October 2026, against the text of Law no. 372/2005 (republished, with the amendments made by Law no. 238/2024, Official Gazette no. 714/22.07.2024) and the official edition of Mc 001-2022 (Official Gazette no. 46 bis/17.I.2023). Courtesy translation; the Romanian version prevails. This is not technical or legal advice.*