FAQs
What is a Building Energy Rating?
What will happen if I do not obtain a BER for my dwelling as required by law?
How will energy rating of NEW HOMES be carried out?
How will energy rating of EXISTING HOMES be carried out?
What are the BER implementation dates in Ireland?
What information does the Building Energy Rating Certificate contain?
What Grants are Available to Home Owners
What is a Building Energy Rating?
The Building Energy Rating Certificate (BER) is part of the Energy Performance of Buildings EU Directive. The aim of the Directive is to make the energy performance of a building transparent and available to potential purchasers or tenants.
A Building Energy Rating (BER) is simply a survey to investigate building fabric (floors, walls, roof & windows) and building services (electricity, heating systems & ventilation) that are incorporated within your house and in turn to see how good it is at using energy. The procedure will also measure how much energy usage and carbon emissions your house will use or produce over a given year based on heat loss through the building fabric & energy consumption through building services.
Based on this survey, your house will be rated on a scale of A to G. A-rated buildings are the most energy efficient and will have the lowest energy bills, whereas those rated G are the least efficient.
You are only required to have an energy rating carried out if you are selling or renting your house. Exemptions apply to listed buildings of outstanding architectural or historical importance.
What will happen if I do not obtain a BER for my dwelling as required by law?
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. 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.
BERs can only be carried out by specially trained BER assessors such as Forest Leaf who are registered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI). The assessor will issue the BER by using various calculation methods and software.
How will energy rating of NEW HOMES be carried out?
New homes will most likely be rated off the plans during the design stage by a certified assessor. The person or organisation building the new dwelling will engage a BER assessor to carry out the BER.
How will energy rating of EXISTING HOMES be carried out?
Homeowners who are selling or renting an existing home will be required to have a building energy rating (BER) carried out by a trained and certified assessor and must provide the BER certificate to prospective buyers/tenants. This involves a house survey.
A BER is valid for up to 10 years provided that there is no material change to the dwelling that could affect its energy performance.
What are the BER implementation dates in Ireland?
- New Residential: Since 1st January 2007 all new residential buildings for which planning permission was applied will require a BER certificate when they are offered for sale or for rent.
- New Non-Residential: Since 1st of July 2008 BER certificates are required for all new non-residential buildings.
- Existing Buildings (residential and other buildings) when offered for sale or letting on or after 1st January 2009.
What information does the Building Energy Rating Certificate contain?
The BER Certificate provides information on the following:
- The BER for the building
- The building name and address
- A BER Number
- The date of Issue
- The date until when the BER is valid
- The BER Assessor Number
- The BER Assessor Company Number
The rating assigned to the property is indicated on a scale from the most efficient (A1 rating) to the least efficient (G Rating)
What Grants are Available to Home Owners
This section provides information on the various grants available to homeowners to assist with costs in making their dwellings more energy efficient.
(i) Sustainable Energy Ireland’s Better Energy Home Scheme
What is & who are entitled to avail of the scheme?
All national homeowners, landlords and owners of multiple properties built before 2006 are entitled to apply for this scheme. The grants are provided to enhance the energy efficiencies of all existing dwelling types mentioned above. They are fixed for each type of measure and need grant approval from SEI first. See SEI website for full details. These improvements & grants (vat inclusive) available consist of the following:
| Measure | Category | Grant € |
| Roof | Roof Insulation | €200 |
| Wall | Cavity Wall Insulation | €320 |
| Internal Dry-Lining | €2000 | |
| External Wall Insulation | €4,000 | |
| Heating Controls | High efficiency gas or oil fired boiler with heating controls | €560 |
| Heating Controls Upgrade | €400 | |
| BER Assessment | BER assessment | €80 |
Notes:
Wall Insulation – this includes either cavity wall, internal dry lining or external insulation systems
Installation of a High Efficiency (> 90%) Gas or Oil fired Boilers with Heating Controls Upgrade Building Energy Rating (BER) – this is not mandatory, however Forest Leaf advise to carry out an energy rating at the beginning order to analyse exactly where you can benefit. We are fully registered with SEI and are here to help. You also get a €200 grant for this once a BER is carried out before and after the remedial works are carried out. Go to SEI website for full details & disclaimer
http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Better_energy_homes/
(ii) Sustainable Energy Ireland’s Greener Homes Scheme
The Greener Homes Scheme Phase III provides assistance to existing homeowners who intend to purchase a new renewable energy heating system for existing homes. The scheme is administered by Sustainable Energy Ireland and aims to increase the use of renewable energy and sustainable energy technologies in Irish homes.
Go to SEI website for full details & disclaimer
http://www.sei.ie/Grants/GreenerHomes/
(iii) Warmer Home Scheme
This SEI scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and comfort conditions of homes occupied by low-income households and engages regional community based organisations to acquire and apply the skills to carry out the work – which includes attic insulation, draught proofing, lagging jackets, energy efficient lighting, cavity wall insulation and energy advice. Call Forest Leaf Energy Consultants for advice.
Go to SEI website for full details & disclaimer
http://www.sei.ie/Grants/Warmer_Homes_Scheme/
The Electricity Supply Board has developed an Appliance Calculator to help you to calculate how much energy your electrical appliances use. Click here to visit their site and calculate the energy your appliances use:
https://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/energy_efficiency/appliance_calculator.jsp
We have also compiled a list of ways you can save energy
- Get into the habit of switching of lights when you leave a room.
- Regularly clean light fittings, reflectors and lampshades.
- Use the timer on your immersion heater. This is a simple way to ensure you have hot water when you need it without wasting it.
- Turning your computer off at night will save on average 25% of its annual energy bill. Remember to turn off your computer whenever you are not going to use it for more than an hour.
- A television in standby mode can use as much as half the electricity as when it is switched on.
- Don't let frost build up in the freezer compartment as this increases energy consumption.
- Don't put warm or hot food straight into the freezer - let it cool down first.
- At a certain point in cooking, turn off electric rings and use their residual heat.
- In a microwave oven, arrange unevenly shaped items with the thickest portion to the outside. Stir or turn the food over to speed up cooking time.
- The oven is expensive to use - try to use it as sparingly and efficiently as possible.
- Do not open the over door to check cooking - every time you do so you lose 20% of the accumulated heat.
- The toaster is more energy efficient than the grill for toasting bread.
- When making tea or coffee, boil only the amount of water required (but make sure the heating elements of electric kettles are covered!).
- When drying clothes in a dryer, dry heavy articles separately from light articles and turn the dryer off as soon as the clothes are dry - don't over dry the clothes!
- Stop the dishwasher before the drying cycle, open the door to let the dishes air dry and always use the economy button where possible.
- Check the energy labels on appliances before you buy. Purchase ‘A’ rated appliances whenever possible, they can save their replacement cost over their lifetime and benefit the environment.
- Energy saving bulbs use a fraction of the electricity and last up to 10 times longer than ordinary light-bulbs.
- When buying heaters, make sure they are the right size for the rooms they are to heat. Remember that electric heaters consume electricity at the most expensive charge rate.