BER Assessment
1. What is a BER assessment?
A BER assessment is carried out by SEAI registered BER Assessors. BER Assessors are skilled professionals who will conduct a survey of your home to assess the building fabric and determine the amount of energy your home requires for heating, hot water and ventilation, and lighting.
2. What is a BER Certificate?
A BER (Building Energy Rating) Certificate indicates your dwelling’s energy performance. It is similar to the energy label attached to household appliances.
The certificate rates your dwelling on a scale of A-G, A-rating being the most energy efficient generally with lower energy bills, and G-rating being the least energy efficient.
3. When do I need a BER Certificate?
A BER Certificate is required when selling or renting a property. It must be included in all advertising, and it is therefore required before the property is placed on the market so that prospective buyers or tenants can see the Building Energy Rating.
You also need a BER Certificate where you are carrying out grant works to your home.
4. How long is a BER Certificate valid for?
A BER Certificate is valid for 10 years. The exception is if a material change is carried out to the property (for example an extension, change in layout, or change in heating system) in which case a new BER assessment is required to reflect the change.
5. How long does it take to get my BER assessment?
Most of our clients requiring a BER assessment and Certificate are keen to get it quickly to put their property on the market. Your BER assessment will always be carried out as soon as is possible. This can vary based on current business levels but should always only be a matter of a few days.
The BER Assessor visit to your home will generally be 45 to 90 minutes in duration.
6. How much does a BER assessment cost?
This varies based on the individual property type and size.
Please visit our quotation page to request a BER assessment Quote.
7. What will the BER assessor require on the day of the survey?
The assessor will require your MPRN number. This is contained on your electricity bill.
BER Certificates are registered with the SEAI using this number.
The assessor will also require your contact details for correspondence and to issue your BER Cert and the advisory report.
The BER assessment survey of your dwelling will generally be 45 to 90 minutes in duration. All rooms must be accessible at the time of the survey..
The BER assessor will complete and submit all details to the SEAI. The SEAI will then publish a BER Certificate and Report. This will be forwarded to you.
Payment is required on the day of the BER assessment survey, and the BER Certificate and Advisory Report will be issued within a few days.dwelling
More BER Information
energy performance of buildings
The EU Directive on the energy performance of buildings remains an important part of the Irish strategy to tackle climate change. The Government has committed to a CO2 emissions reduction target for 2050.
The generation and recording of BER assessments allows the Irish government to monitor the standard of energy efficiency in dwellings across Ireland. The energy efficiency statistics gathered help make to make decisions on future changes required to legislation and what grant aid may be useful to ensure all buildings reach high levels of energy efficiency and reduced carbon standards.
There are a wide range of efficiency factors that affect the energy performance of a dwelling from insulation and u-values to a window’s glazing and the heating system and fuel used, everything has an effect. When generating a BER some assumptions are made by the software to determine the energy performance of the building.
Building regulations
These assumptions are based on the age of the building and the building regulations which applied the time of its construction. If changes to the fabric of the building have been made since this date documentary evidence is required. The assumptions in the software and conventions and definitions have evolved over time to improve the methodology and the results of the BER calculation.
BER results
Making mistakes with certain elements will have an effect on the BER results, for example recording single glaze windows instead of double or triple glazed windows will have a significant effect on the final result as well as incorrectly recording the building age especially buildings built before and after the 1960s. Incorrect wall elements will also have a large effect on the accuracy of the result. Our BER assessors are highly trained and accuracy is of paramount importance.
energy performance of buildings
The energy performance of a dwelling will affect its ongoing running costs and the comfort of the occupants. The Irish government intends to make it clear for those who are renting or buying property how much these ongoing costs could be.
There are simple things that home owners could do to reduce energy usage and increase energy efficiency in a building such as easily changing to low energy light bulbs and correctly using heating controls Their are great online resources available to help owners and occupiers increase the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce their bills and carbon emissions.