Recognition as an air conditioning energy expert

To be recognised as an air conditioning energy expert, you must fulfil:

• general recognition conditions(opens in new window) that apply to all recognitions relating the enviornment
  • in the 3 years that precede the application for the Flemish recognition certificate, the applicant has not been convicted of a criminal offence in a member state of the European Economic Area, for infringements of the environmental legislation concerning the use of the recognition.
  • in the 2 years that precede the application for the Flemish recognition certificate, no recognition with the same object was revoked due to infringement of the obligations associated with that recognition.
• special recognition conditions:
  • be a natural person
  • hold a certificate of competence concerning the inspection of air conditioning systems with a nominal cooling capacity of more than 12 kW. That certificate must have been awarded by a recognised training centre.

Validity period and obligations

The recognition is valid for an indefinite period. As a recognised technician, you must meet a number of obligations to retain your recognition:

• correctly perform the inspections and correctly interpret the results
• submit the inspection report to the operator of the building
• on request, display the tools that will be used to perform the tasks
• hold insurance for third-party liability, including professional liability, in connection with the use of the recognition
• report every change of identification data (such as address, e-mail address) immediately via erkenningen.omgeving@vlaanderen.be(opens in your email application)
• pay the annual fee (in Dutch) for the supervision of the recognition. The first payment is to be made in the year following the year in which you obtained the Flemish recognition certificate. Failure to pay the annual fee will lead to automatic suspension of the recognition following a formal notice of default. If the fee is not paid within 30 days of the suspension, the recognition will automatically lapse.

More info on the obligations for recognised air conditioning energy experts (in Dutch) can be found on the Department of Environment and Spatial Development website.

You have to follow a training course and pass an exam to obtain your recognition:

• Apply free of choice with one of the recognised training centres (in Dutch)(PDF file opens in new window).
• After the training you must pass the associated examination.

If you pass, you will receive a certificate with a personal recognition number.

As a recognised air conditioning energy expert, you must pay the annual fee (in Dutch) for the supervision of the recognition. You will receive an invoice for this by post at the start of the calendar year in your name at your official address.

• For 2025 the annual fee amounts to EUR 35.
• That amount is index-adjusted every year.

Flemish regulation on environmental recognitions (VLAREL).