Faq

  1. What is a BER?
  2. What does the BER Certificate look like?
  3. Why is there a need for Building Energy Rating (BER)?
  4. What are the BER implementation dates in Ireland?
  5. Why has the introduction of BERs been phased?
  6. What happens when a dwelling is sold "off plans"?
  7. What happens if I build a dwelling for my own use?
  8. How will BER of New Dwellings be carried out?
  9. How will the BER of Existing Dwellings be carried out?
  10. What will happen if I do not obtain a BER for my dwelling as required by law?
  11. Who will carry out the BER?
  12. How is a BER calculated?
  13. How much will a BER Certificate Cost?
  14. How long will it take to get a BER Cert
  15. Who pays for the BER Certificate?
  16. I am not buying or selling a building, does this BER requirement affect me?
  17. What happens if a building gets a relatively low BER?
  18. What happens if a BER shows that a new dwelling does not comply with Part L of the Building Regulations?
  19. What can be done to improve a BER for an existing dwelling?
  20. How long will a BER remain valid?
  21. What building categories are exempt from BER?
  22. What impact will BER have on Irish householders?
  23. What impact will BERs have on owners or renters of dwellings?
  24. Other Questions?

A BER (Building Energy Rating) is a standard calculation of the energy performance of a building, produced by a qualified independent assessor using procedures, including calculation method and software approved by SEI (Sustainable Energy Ireland) and including a survey of the building where required by direction of SEI. It is rather like the mpg or l/km rating for a motorcar or the A to G rating for a household electrical appliance. Your property cannot pass or fail a BER, it is a measure of the energy performance of the property.

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BER is based on primary energy demand and the BER scale ranges from “A1” (most efficient) to “G” (least efficient). To see what each band relates to in terms of primary energy demand, download a copy of a BER Certificate here.

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Building Energy Rating (BER) is a requirement of the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (2002/91/EC of 16 December 2002), which has now been transposed in Ireland by the European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 666 of 2006). The building owner is required to provide the BER to prospective buyers and tenants. A BER Cert will, therefore, make the energy performance characteristics of the building transparent to prospective buyers and tenants. As a result, buyers and tenants will be able, for the first time, to take energy performance into consideration in their decision to purchase or rent a building. Overall, the message in a market context is: “information is power”. BER is about equipping the consumer with information and the consequent power to act in their own best interests.

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The requirement to provide a BER is being introduced on a phased basis as follows:

  • New dwellings: The regulations apply to new dwellings for which planning permission was applied for on or after 1st January 2007. Transitional BER exemptions will apply to new dwellings for which planning permission is applied on or before 31st December 2006, where the new dwellings involved are substantially completed on or before 30th June 2008.
  • New Non-Domestic Buildings: The regulations apply to new dwellings for which planning permission was applied for on or after 1st July 2008. Transitional BER exemptions will apply to new non-domestic buildings for which planning permission is applied on or before 30th June 2008 provided the new non-domestic buildings involved are substantially completed by 30th June 2010.
  • Existing Buildings (dwellings and other buildings) when offered for sale or letting on or after 1st January 2009.
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A period of 3 years (2007-2009) is required to allow the phasing of:

  • Development and delivery of training programmes for BER assessors to enable their formal registration
  • Development and adoption of methodologies for the calculation of energy performance for new and existing buildings
  • Development and adoption of BER certificates and related advisory reports
  • Development of appropriate software and hardware systems to enable BER assessors to produce BERs
  • Development of a central administration system capable of handling in excess of 150,000 BERs per annum in the case of housing transactions alone, and of generating national data on the results of BER activity.
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A ‘Provisional BER Certificate’ must be produced by the vendor to potential buyers or tenants, when the new dwelling is offered for sale “off plans”. This certificate is based upon the pre-construction plans. When the relevant new dwelling is completed, the vendor is obligated to arrange for a new BER certificate to be supplied to the purchaser, based on the plans of the dwelling as constructed (to take account of any design changes during construction).

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A BER Certificate must be procured by the person commissioning a dwelling for their own use, prior to taking up occupation of the dwelling.

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The owner/developer of the new dwelling will engage an SEI registered BER assessor to carry out the BER based on the plans and specifications for the new building. BER Independent Assessors.ie (BERia.ie ) has assembled the largest group of Independent Building Energy Rating (BER) Assessors in Ireland. The highly trained SEI Accredited Energy Assessors are guaranteed to provide a fast and efficient service country wide. All BER Assessors will be required to follow a standardised procedure using an approved calculation methodology and to adhere to a standard code of practice.

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The BER assessor will normally survey the dwelling to record, for example, the size of the dwelling, the construction, the insulation levels, the types of windows, the ventilation features, details of the heating and hot water systems, etc. This information will then be used to generate the BER which represents the energy performance of the dwelling. All BER assessors will be required to follow a standardised procedure using an approved survey and calculation methodology to generate the rating.

A BER of an existing dwelling being offered for sale or letting on or after 1st January 2009 must be carried out by a registered BER assessor, at the expense of the owner - who must provide the resulting BER certificate and advisory report to prospective buyers/tenants. BER Independent Assessors.ie (BERia.ie ) has assembled the largest group of Independent Building Energy Rating (BER) Assessors in Ireland. The highly trained SEI Accredited Energy Assessors are guaranteed to provide a fast and efficient service country wide.

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If you do not comply with a BER requirement you will be liable, on conviction in the District Court, to a maximum fine of €5,000. More importantly, failure to secure a BER certificate at the proper time could hinder or delay the legal completion of a sale or letting or a future disposal of the relevant dwelling.

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BERs will be carried out by specially trained BER assessors, registered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI). BER Independent Assessors.ie (BERia.ie ) has assembled the largest group of Independent Building Energy Rating (BER) Assessors in Ireland. The highly trained SEI Accredited Energy Assessors are guaranteed to provide a fast and efficient serviceCountry wide. BER assessors (usually building professionals like architects, engineers, etc.) must have successfully completed a BER training course provided by a training provider which meets the requirement of the training specification which was published by SEI in October 2006. This specification may also be viewed and downloaded here. (link to copy of specification) BER assessors must also meet any other requirements set by SEI, including signing up to of a Code of Conduct and providing a declaration of interests, if relevant. It is an offence for persons not registered with SEI as BER assessors to purport to carry out a BER assessment service for the purposes of the Regulations and SEI will only publish ratings produced by registered BER assessors.

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BER calculation includes building fabric, ventilation, space and water heating, and lighting. These values coupled with measurements taken from the drawings or a survey of the property culminate in the achievement of a BER label. The BER is expressed in the form of performance bands, rated on a scale of A to G, with 'A' being the most energy efficient, and 'G' being the least energy efficient.

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The amount of the BER fee will be determined by the size of the building and whether it’s an existing building or a new dwelling. For non-domestic buildings, BER fees will vary according to whether new or existing, and according to building size and complexity, and so will be expected to range widely. Please refer to the pricing and bookings page on this website.

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Our commitment at BERia is that an assessor from your area will be in contact with you within 24 hours to arrange an appointment. The assessor makes contact with the customer to make arrangements for the site visit within 2 working days. Elements such as weather, availability of the assessors and customer preference are taken into account during this process. The target turnaround time for production of a BER for dwellings - from the date of first communication by the vendor, lessor, or agent to a registered BER assessor to publication on the BER register – is approximately three weeks. Following this period, the BER certificate can be issued to the client and confirmed online at www.sei.ie/ber. The BER assessor will submit the results to SEI for publication on the BER register, and then be able to generate the BER certificate and advisory report for issuing to the client.

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It is the building owner’s responsibility to commission and pay for the BER. In the case of new dwellings, this will be the owner of the new dwelling i.e. builder (including persons building a dwelling for their own use) or developer (whether an individual, a local authority or other housing provider). For existing buildings offered for sale or rent on or after 1st January 2009, the owner (directly or through their agent) is responsible for commissioning and paying for the BER.

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No it does not affect you. The BER requirement only applies to buildings that are being constructed, sold or rented.

There is no legal penalty for getting an inferior BER for an existing dwelling. However, new dwellings must comply with the “Conservation of Fuel and Energy” Part L provisions of the Building Regulations. The impact of a lower BER on the marketability of dwellings offered for sale or letting will depend on overall housing supply, demand and other property market factors and on the availability/price of domestic fuels.

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All new dwellings must comply with the Building Regulations Including Part L which relates to energy. If a registered BER assessor finds that a new dwelling does not comply with the regulations, he or she is required to advise his/her client that they appear to be in breach of Regulations, explain the issues that have resulted in the apparent breach, encourage them in as strong terms as possible to rectify issues. He or she should also advise his or her client that the new owner will have a right of access to this information.

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Building energy performance options might include measures such as:

  • Installing the hot water cylinder and pipework;
  • Increasing the insulation in the walls, attic, floor;
  • Installing double or triple glazed windows
  • Installing advanced energy efficient glazing;
  • Replacing an old or inefficient boiler with a more efficient boiler;
  • Installing modern heating controls;
  • Installing certain types of renewable energy heating systems.

For this reason, the advisory report will be a key document in relation to existing dwellings. It may be particularly useful to those who have just purchased an existing dwelling which they plan to improve or remodel in their early stages of occupation. Please view our "Energy Saving Tips" page here.

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A BER for a building will be valid for 10 years from the date of issue, unless there is a material change in the building in the meantime which could affect its energy performance – for example an extension to the building, a significant change to the building fabric or a change in the heating system or fuel used. Therefore if a property which has received a BER is placed on the market within 10 years of that BER being issued, and the property has experienced no relevant alteration in the meantime, then that same BER may be used by the building owner for the purposes of meeting their obligations under the Regulations.

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The following building categories are exempt from BER, as permitted by the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive):

  • National monuments
  • Protected structures
  • Places of worship or buildings used for the religious activities of any religion
  • Certain temporary buildings
  • Non-residential industrial or agricultural buildings with a low installed heating capacity (less than 10 W/m2)
  • Stand alone buildings with a small useful floor area (less than 50m2)
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The BER requirement will impact on an estimated 150,000 sale or rental transactions per year. BERs will mean that anyone buying a house will be able to check the energy performance of the house and get an indication of the annual running costs. It will allow people to take energy costs into consideration in their purchasing decisions. This is becoming more and more important as energy costs are increasing all the time. BERs will allow house hunters to compare the energy performance of two different houses on an equal scale. It will allow you to compare two houses that on the surface appear very similar such as two 3-bed semi detached dwellings or equally two very different houses, such as a 2 bed apartment and a 5 bed house. The Building Energy Rating will ultimately improve energy awareness in the property market both for home buyers and developers and this awareness can be expected over time to place a somewhat higher value on more energy efficient properties. In time, it is likely that householders who have received low energy ratings will wish to improve and maximise the energy performance of their property. By doing so, they will increase the comfort and affordability of their dwellings and enhance their value and sustainability.

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A person wishing to sell or let a house will be required to get a BER carried out by a registered BER assessor and to provide prospective buyers or tenants with this information. If the owner or renter does not comply with a BER requirement they will be liable, on conviction in the District Court, to a maximum fine of €5,000. Failure to secure a BER certificate at the proper time could hinder or delay the legal completion of a sale or letting or a future disposal of the relevant dwelling. The Building Energy Rating will increase awareness of energy performance as a factor in the property market. Those with better rated homes (i.e. more energy efficient homes) will be motivated to highlight this as a positive selling point while those with poorer rated homes may be motivated to upgrade their homes to improve the energy rating. It is expected that investments in the energy performance of homes will benefit building owners and users in terms of improved comfort, lower energy running costs and possibly higher property values. Over time it can be expected to contribute to a change in market behaviour, which will ultimately improve the energy efficiency of the national housing stock and collectively, over time, these market activities could result in an environmental protection benefit in terms of a reduction in CO2 emissions from Ireland’s national building stock.

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Should you have a question related to Building Energy Ratings not covered in our FAQ please email the question to info@beria.ia.

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