The introduction of a compulsory energy label on every house for sale from January 1 should be delayed because the system is far from trustworthy, says home owners lobby group VEH.

From next year all homes for sale must have a certificate saying how energy efficient they are. But the VEH is advising its 700,000 members to ignore the requirement, pointing out that there are no sanctions for failing to comply.
The VEH says it has three main areas of concern. Firstly, companies which are allowed to certify homes only need to have one member of staff qualified to do so while certificates can be handed out by anyone working for the company.
Secondly, home owners have no access to the questionnaire which is used to determine energy usage and thirdly there is no complaints procedure, the VEH says.
The environment ministry says some 200 companies will be equiped to hand out certificates by early next year.
The energy label is based on a number of factors, such as insulation and double glazing. Certificates run from A (very efficient) to G.