Accordion Sample DescriptiA BER Certificate, or BER Rating is a Building Energy Rating provided by a qualified BER Assessor, which shows how energy efficient a property is. Following the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, The Irish Government, along with many other countries, agreed to reduce it’s greenhouse gasses and other harmful emmissions. One way to achieve this has been to introduce the BER scheme, which will show prospective buyers and tenants how energy efficient a property is and therefore encouraging landlords and home owners to increase their properties energy efficiency. The more efficient a home is, the less it costs to heat and the less fossil fuels are required to maintain it and in turn the more attractive it is to future tenants or owners. As a result, it is now compulsory in Ireland when offering a property for sale or rent, to show it’s energy efficiency rating, or BER Rating.

Your BER is calculated based on the amount of energy your home requires for space heating, hot water heating, ventilation, the building fabric and lighting. In order to complete this calculation, your BER Assessor will need to collect information on various aspects of your home. To collect this information, your BER Assessor will need access to all areas of your home including the attic, lighting systems, ventilation, meter cupboards, heating systems and controls, hot press and all doors and windows. During the BER assessment, you BER Assessor will collect information which will include a number of calculations, measurements and photographic evidence of each of these aspects of your home.

This will depend on the complexity and size of your home. Typically, it may take up to an hour to complete an assessment on an average sized 3-bed semi-detached house. Your BER Assessor will then enter all the information collected into a software tool called DEAP, which is used to calculate and generate your BER. Your assessor will be able to advise you on the time required to complete both the assessment and calculations of your home.

Once your BER assessment is complete, you will receive your BER Certificate and Advisory Report. The BER Certificate will indicate the BER rating of your home, and the Advisory Report will provide recommendations for home improvements that could increase the energy efficiency of the building, and in turn increase your BER rating. Your BER Assessor will indicate to you when you will receive these documents. Having all your documents and paperwork prepared prior to your assessment will significantly reduce the time it takes to receive your BER Certificate and Advisory Report.

If you are offering a property in Ireland for sale or rent, you must by law, provide a BER Certificate for potential buyers and tenants. This will allow prospective future occupiers of the property, to compare the buildings energy efficiency, to other houses in the area, and in turn, better estimate the cost of future heating and energy bills. A BER must also be provided before a new home is first occupied. Commercial properties also require BER Certificates which can be provided by Commercial BER Assessors.

There are some exempted buildings and structures, which do not require a BER certificate when being offered for sale or rent. The following buildings are exempt from requiring BER Certificates: Protected structures National monuments Places of worship Non residential agricultural buildings Stand alone buildings with total floor area less than 50 sq/m Industrial buildings with an installed heat capacity that does not exceed 10W/m2.