Becoming an EP adviser: step-by-step plan under BRL 9500

Only a competent energy performance adviser (EP adviser) may produce an energy label for a home or building. This is set out on the RVO page on EP advisers . You obtain this status in a fixed order: first the training and exam, then working for a certified company, and then registering in EP-Online . The scheme this falls under is BRL 9500.

In short: training, exam, working under a certified company, registering. Only then may you produce labels independently.

Step by step: from training to registration

The process has two tracks. The first track is personal: you obtain your professional competence. The second track belongs to the company: the company obtains its certificate. The two tracks run together, because you may only produce reports once both are complete.

Fictional example: Sanne de Vries (fictional) works as a project leader at the fictional consultancy Groenhuis Advies in Utrecht. Sanne wants to produce energy labels for new-build homes herself. She follows the same steps as you.

Choose your category

First you choose which type of building and which level you want to work at. There are four categories: EP-W/B and EP-W/D for homes, and EP-U/B and EP-U/D for non-residential buildings (offices, schools and other buildings). The B stands for basic and the D for detailed. A basic adviser may survey existing buildings using the basic method. A detailed adviser may also work with the detailed method, including new builds. A higher category may also do the work of a lower one.

Sanne chooses EP-W/D, because she wants to work on new builds.

Follow a training course

A training course takes on average four to six days, according to RVO. Training providers and exam institutes are accredited by the foundation InstallQ. Ask a training provider which course suits your category. A course for homes and a course for non-residential buildings are not the same.

Sanne follows an EP-W detailed course with an accredited training provider.

Take the national exam

You take the exam with Cito, ‘t Examenpark or Stichting Nederlands Examen Instituut (SNEI, Dutch Examination Institute Foundation). The exam consists of modules. Which modules belong to your category is set out in the InstallQ final attainment targets. You can read more about the exam on the page on the EP adviser exam.

Sanne schedules the exam after the course. She chooses the exam bureau that has availability in her region.

Become competent

You are competent once you have passed all the modules for your category. You then receive the status needed to produce labels. From that moment you are personally bound by the rules of BRL 9500. Before that, you either certify yourself under BRL 9500, or you join a certified umbrella organisation, according to RVO.

Work for a certified company

Only qualified EP advisers may produce reports, and they do so under an employment, cooperation or licence agreement with a certified company. Working independently without such a link is therefore not possible. Recognised certification bodies are SKG-IKOB, VINK, KIWA, EPG and ALPHA. You can read more about the company itself on company certification.

Sanne receives an employment contract with Groenhuis Advies, which is already BRL 9500-certified.

The company gets certified

If you start your own company, that company must first be certified. The company reads the BRL 9500 scheme, writes a quality manual and requests a quote from a certification body. An admission assessment follows. Ask the body how that assessment works and how long the process takes.

Register your labels in EP-Online

After every building survey and label assessment, you register the label in EP-Online . For this you need eHerkenning level 3, with the EP-Online service. The company or the adviser must arrange that authorisation themselves. You can find out how this works on the EP-Online registration page.

Keep up your training

Every EP adviser must complete continuing training every year, according to RVO. Without that training you lose your professional competence. The certification body also checks the work. At Kiwa, follow-up starts half a year after the admission assessment. After that, follow-up takes place every year. See internal and external controls for how this works in practice.

How long does the whole process take?

The process consists of fixed parts, but the time per part varies widely. The course takes on average four to six days. The exam and the certification process differ in duration per bureau and per body. Ask the exam bureau and the certification body for their timings. An overview of the costs and timeline is on costs and lead time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I be an EP adviser on my own, without an employer?

You may work independently, but you must be connected to a certified company. That can be through an employment, cooperation or licence agreement. A company of your own must itself be BRL 9500-certified for that.

Which category do I need?

That depends on what you want to survey. For existing homes, the basic category is often sufficient. For new builds or more complex calculations, you need the detailed category. Read the differences on home or non-residential.

How do I know whether a company is certified?

Ask the company for its certificate and check it with the certification body. A company that is not certified may not produce reports that you can register.