· What is BER ? / Energy Rating Certificates
· What is the difference between an A and G rated property / Savings ?
· How long does a BER Cert last ?
· What does a BER Certificate look like ?
· What information does the BER Certificate hold ?
· How is BER Calculated ?
· Who can issue BER Certificates ?
· How much does a BER cost ?
· Who needs a BER Cert ?
· When is a BER legally required ?
· What are the legal implications for non-compliance ?
· Why should I get a BER Cert ?
· What are the benefits of BER ?
· What can be done to improve a BER for an existing dwelling ?
· How long should it take for the assessor to do the site survey

-How long will it take before I receive the BER Certificate ?

What Is BER / Building Energy Rating ?

A Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate is an energy efficient label for your home. It is similar to the energy label on electrical appliances with a scale of A to G. "A" rated homes are the most energy efficient and will have the lowest energy bills where as a "G" has the most inefficient and will have the highest energy bills.
A BER certificate is compulsory for all new homes constructed from July 2008 i.e where planning permission was applied for on or after 1st January 2007.
Exemptions apply to listed buildings of outstanding architectural or historical importance.

From January 1st 2009 all existing dwellings must have a Building Energy Rating certificate and all sellers/landlords must provide this cert to all tenants whether being sold or rented. There is no obligation for the sellers/landlords to make any recommended improvements from the advisory report.

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What is the difference between an A rated property and a G rated property

This example shows 3 different houses.
House 1 is A. rated.
House 2 is C. rated.
House 3 is G. rated.

House 1. 74 x 98 x 0.14 = €1,015 energy costs per year
House 2. 199 x 98 x 0.14 = €2,730 energy costs per year
House 3. 450 x 98 x 0.14 = €6,174 energy costs per year

As you can see there is a difference between an A. rated house 1 and the C. rated house 2 is a saving of €1,715 energy costs per year.
And the difference between A rated house 1 and G rated house 3 is a saving of as much as €5,159 energy costs per year. Click here to see a BER example calculation

Now you know how significant the BER value is on your property an d this is what the assessor achieves for you.

See Our Energy BER Assessors Chart

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How long does a BER Cert last ?

A Full BER Cert is valid for 10 years from the date of issue so long as there is no material change during this time that could affect its energy rating.
If a dwelling is purchased off the Plans a provisional cert is issued and this is valid for 2 years from the date of issue.
The builder would be responsible to have a full BER carried out before selling the property.

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What does a BER Certificate look like ?

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What information does the BER Certificate hold ?

The BER Certificate provides information on the following:
1. The BER for the dwelling.
2. The dwellings name and address.
3. The BER Number.
4. The date of Issue
5. The date the BER is valid till.
6. The BER Assessor Number.
7. The Assessor Company Number.
8. The rating of the dwelling.
9. A Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions Indicator.

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How is BER Calculated ?

Firstly before calculation is done on BER there are some standard assumptions used, for standard room temperatures for example the Lounge 21oC and the rest of the dwelling 18oC , heating schedule popular times from 07.00 hours to 09.00 hours and from 17.00 hours to 23.00 hours, heating season from October to May, domestic hot water usage and the number of people residing in the dwelling.

BER is calculated using Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP). The Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) this software package is used for this calculation method, it measures the energy performance of dwellings it takes into account the material used for construction of the dwelling, ventilation, fuel used to provide the space and water heating, thermal storage (mass) capacity of the dwelling, exposure of the dwelling and lighting of the dwelling.

The end result of a BER, calculates the primary energy consumption, which is expressed in kWh per meter squared per annum (kWh/m2/yr) and quantifies the C02 output in kg of C02 per meter squared per annum (kg/CO2/m2/yr). A performance category 'A' to 'G' is assigned to the energy consumption at this point.

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Who can issue BER Certificates ?

Only a registered Building Energy Rating assessor can carry out BER Certification. Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) is the governing body over BER certificates and Assessors.

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How much does a BER cost ?

Charges can vary depending on the size of the building and whether it is being rated from plans for an existing building. The cost of a provisional assessment start from €175 including VAT. for smaller buildings, up to €350 including VAT. for the bigger buildings, however our rates are competitive and these could vary over time.

BER Assessors will be charged a fee of €25 to submit a BER assessment to SEI for publication on the National BER Register.

Click Here For Our Full BER Energy Rating Certificate prices

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Who Needs BER Certificates ?

From January 1st 2009 anybody Selling or letting property is required by law to have a BER cert and there is no obligation to make any recommended improvements from the advisory report. Exemptions apply to listed buildings of outstanding architectural or historical importance.

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When is a building energy rating cert legally required ?

A BER cert is required by law, if planning permission was applied after the following dates:
1st January 2007. BER cert is required for new dwellings for which planning permission was applied for on or after this date, whether being constructed, offered for sale or for rent. Transitional BER exemptions will apply to new dwellings for which planning permission is applied on or before 31 December 2006, which is substantially completed by 30 June 2008.

1st July 2008. BER cert is required for new buildings, other than dwellings, for which planning permission was applied for on or after this date. 1st January 2009 BER cert is required for anybody Selling or letting property is required by law to have a BER cert.

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What are the legal implications for non-compliance ?

There is a maximum fine of up to €5,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding 3 months, or both, for not getting a BER when required, for not complying with authorised officers to enter, inspect buildings etc.

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Why should I get a BER Cert and what are the benefits ?

1. Add value to your home and make it more sought-after when selling or renting.
2. Improve and lower your energy heating costs - savings on energy and fuel bills.
3. Lower CO2 emissions.

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What can be done to improve a BER for an existing dwelling ?

1. Increase the insulation on the hot water cylinder or replace with factory insulated one.
2. Insulate pipe-work.
3. Install heating controls such as TRV's on radiators .
4. Install wood pellet burner instead of an open fire.
5. Increase the insulation in walls, floor and attic.
6. Improve the windows with more energy efficient glazing.
7. Finally replace your old boiler with a higher efficiency boiler.


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How long should it take for the assessor to do the site survey ?

All site surveys are expected to be non-intrusive wherever possible (for example, the assessor is not expected to drill walls to confirm construction, or to lift carpets and floor boards to confirm floor insulation).For new dwellings an assessment is done off the floor plans where as the exiting dwellings do require a site survey and the time it takes depends on the size of the property, a standard three bedroom house should take about an hour to complete.

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How long does it take before I receive the BER Certificate ?

Some company's say they can do this in five to seven working days but this can be done and sent to you in the post within twenty four hours of the site survey. This would depend on whether there is a backlog, but a more realistic time would be a couple of days after the site survey the BER cert and an advisory report would be issued to you in the post.

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