Requirements for BER rating
A BER rating Certificate is an important document. There are rules and laws concerning energy use by new and existing buildings offered for rent or sale in Ireland.
The current BER rating for a building must be stated in all advertisements. All advertisements means public announcements in: newspapers, magazines, brochures, leaflets, advertising notices, vehicles, radio, television, internet (including apps and social media), and direct mail. You’ll see examples on Daft.ie
Prospective buyers and renters should be able to see the BER rating prominently in all advertisements.
If images of the property are used, the BER rating type displayed should be the BER Alphanumeric Rating Motif for the particular property.
BER in advertising
The BER Ratings in advertising requirements are set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations.
Exemptions to BER rating requirements
Some types of building do not require a BER rating or DEC rating:
National monuments,
Protected structures or proposed protected structures,
Places of worship or buildings used for the religious activities of any religion,
Certain temporary buildings,
Industrial buildings not intended for extended human occupancy with a low installed heating capacity,
Non-residential agricultural buildings with a low installed heating capacity.
Stand alone buildings with a small useful floor area of less than 50 square meters.
BER rating When Selling or Renting
There’s a lot more to selling or renting a property than simply doing a spring clean and putting it on the market; letting potential buyers know how energy efficient your home is, is not only advisable but is also a necessary requirement.
A BER certificate measures the efficiency of a dwelling by calculating the CO2 emissions and energy demand of the property. It covers energy use for heating, ventilation, lighting and hot water and is worked out on the basis of an assumed occupancy. Homes with a good BER will be more energy efficient and have the lowest utility bills.
A BER is measured using DEAP software short for dwelling energy assessment procedure. This also rates all the heat gained from solar gains through windows and roof-lights and from using appliances. It measures the heat loss through walls, floors and roofs and then calculates out the heat demand to keep a dwelling warm and the water hot and the efficiency of the heating system.
BER cert results are on a scale from A to G – A is the most efficient and G the least and is based on an agreed standard assessment procedure rating system. Completed by a registered BER Assessors who are all listed on www.seai.ie, it is required by anyone putting a property on the market.
You are required to get a BER rating when you are selling or renting your house, and a rating is valid for 10 years unless material changes are made to the dwelling. A more energy efficient house is cheaper to run, it is probably of a better construction will be less draughty and more comfortable.
Energy Habits
Often your energy habits can save you much more money than insulating your home.
You should note that a BER rating measures the performance of your property fabric using a universal set of criteria for occupancy, hot water use, etc. This means that buyers and renters can compare BER ratings nationally, but it is not a measure of one’s actual energy usage.
There are some simple things you can do to improve your BER rating and make your building a more attractive prospect to potential buyers or renters. We have some great tips on our energy saving ideas page.