Local Info line: 1890 815 690
BER - Building Energy Rating Certificate for your house in Dublin
​
A BER certificate is required by law now for all domestic buildings when offered for sale or rent. From 6th June 2010 a BER Certificate is also compulsory for having HES insulation grants paid after insulation works are finished. Warm House Insulation & Heating is a registered BER Assessment Company in Dublin associated with BER Assessors Association of Ireland with lot of experience in this area.
Please refer to the answered questions below to get more information about BER.
-
I need a BER Certificate in Dublin. How do I contact a BER Assessor?
-
What are the values of Energy Performance on my BER Certificate?
​
​
What is a BER?
A BER, or a Building Energy Rating is a label similar to the energy labels on your domestic appliances. BER is based on primary energy demand and the BER scale ranges from "A1" (most efficient) to "G" (least efficient). A BER is based on the characteristics of major components of the dwelling (wall, roof and floor dimensions, window and door sizes and orientations) as well as the construction type and levels of insulation, ventilation and air tightness features, the systems for heat supply (including renewable energy), distribution and control, and the type of lighting. It covers annual energy use for space heating, water heating, ventilation, lighting and associated pumps and fans, calculated on the basis of a notional standard family with a standard pattern of occupancy.
​
You need to contact a BER Assessor to organize your BER . From 1st January 2009, a BER became compulsory for all homes being sold or offered for rent and brom 8th June 2010, a Building Energy Rating (BER ) is to be an integral part of all grant applications under the Home Energy Saving Scheme. Along with the BER Certificate , you also have an Advisory report which details what needs to be done in order to improve the energy performance of your home and in order to save energy and to reduce your Carbon emissions
​
Who needs a BER assessment for the house or apartment?
Sellers or landlords must provide a BER to prospective buyers or tenants when a property is sold, rented or constructed. The BERscheme has been established under the European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006. Sustainable Energy Ireland controls all the published BER Certificates as the BER is an Irish label. All European countries have a similar label to the BER . If you were to purchase or rent a property in a European country, you would be entitled to ask the seller or landlord to see the BER as it is a legal requirement to produce a BER when selling or renting a property in Europe .
From 8th June 2010, a Building Energy Rating (BER ) is to be an integral part of all grant applications under the Home Energy Saving scheme, whereby homeowners must undertake a BER on their home after grant aided works have been completed. This will give homeowners a thorough and objective assessment of the energy performance of their home following upgrade works, including a BER rating on an A-G scale. The first such BER assessment will attract grant aid of €50.
The HES programme has proved to be extremely popular with homeowners, with over 60,000 applications processed to date. However, Ireland has ambitious energy reduction and climate change targets to be met in 2020. If achieved, our dependence on imported fossil fuels will greatly reduce along with lower energy bills for homeowners. To meet these challenging targets we need to both incentivise and inform householders about steps that can be taken to reduce energy usage, while understanding the thermal efficiency of Ireland 's housing stock. Making a BER mandatory will help deliver on both of these aims.
​
I need a BER Certificate in Dublin. How do I contact a BER Assessor?
When you need a BER Certificate, it is important that your BER Assessor is registered with Sustainable Energy Ireland . In order to get the most accurate BER Certificate , make sure your BER Assessor has enough experience in the building construction industry. All BER Assessors registered with SEAI have to adhere to the BER Assessor code of conduct. Your BER Certificate can give some value to your property. Therefore, it is best to carefully choose your BER Assessor.
Our experienced, SEAI registered BER Assessor Dariusz Miksa has excellent qualifications and very good training background as Energy Advisor and BER Assessor. He is also associated with BER Assessors Association of Ireland with No. 1090441. When you search for BER Assessor on the SEAI BER Website just put " Dariusz Miksa" as the name. If you want to contact him directly, please find the number on our Contact Page.
​
What is the BER requirement under HES Scheme?
The Home Energy Saving scheme provides grant aid to homeowners towards upgrades of roof and wall insulation and heating systems. In order to measure the impact of the programme SEAI has introduced a requirement for homeowners to undertake a BER after the upgrade works have been completed. The BER assessment is to be completed by a registered BER Assessor following a site visit after HES upgrade works have been completed. The assessor will furnish you with a certificate indicating the energy performance of your home based on an A-G scale. The assessor will also complete essential information on the BER Confirmation and Request for Payment form. For more information on Building Energy Rating see www.seai.ie/ber.
​
What grant is available for undertaking a BER?
A homeowner is entitled to BER funding of €50 once per home. This funding will be applied to your grant application automatically provided you have never applied previously for BER funding. You will be informed during the online grant application process if BER funding is available for your home or as part of your Letter of Grant Offer if you have applied through the post.
Before the introduction of this new integral BER there was a grant of €200 available for homeowners who wished to undertake a Before and After Works BER, which would have necessitated two survey visits by your assessor. Given that it is now only required to undertake a BER after the upgrade works, your selected assessor should only need to visit your home once and so the costs should be significantly reduced.
​
What are the BER Certificate calculations?
A BER Certificate is established by a BER Assessor . The BER is based on the characteristics of the building elements of the dwelling such as walls, roofs, windows, floor dimensions, etc. The BER Assessor will come to your house to measure them, identify the construction types, the different types of fabrics, the levels of insulation, the orientation of the dwelling. A BER also takes into account the ventilation and air tightness features, the type of lighting, the systems used for the space and the water heating. If it covers the annual energy use for space heating, water heating, ventilation, lighting and associated fans and pumps, the BER does not cover electricity used for other purposes such as cooking, laundry or refrigeration, cleaning, etc. The BER Assessor , after a full energy survey of your property will be able to calculate and publish your BER .
​
What are the values of Energy Performance on my BER Certificate?
On your BER , you can read two important values: The primary energy use per unit floor area per year, (kWH/m2/year) and the associated Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions in kg CO2/m2/yr. The BER is only an indication of the energy performance of a house with a standard use. The actual energy usage will therefore depend on how each occupant operates the house.
​
What are the benefits of having a BER Certificate?
A BER makes the energy performance of your property visible. Seeing the BER Certificate of the property you intend to rent or buy enables you to take energy performance into consideration. If you have to choose between two similar types of dwellings, you will of course prefer the one with the best rating as your energy bills will be lower. Consulting a BER Assessor helps you improve the energy performance of your home. If you want to do some insulation works, asking your BER Assessor to carry out your BER Certificate will help you plan which investments are the most appropriate for your property. It will also help you understand how your house can improve its energy performance and how best to communicate with your builder when you intend to do some works. If your BER Assessor carries out a BER Certificate before and after you have done the works which qualify for the Home Energy Saving Scheme grant with SEAI, you can also get a grant for your BER Certificate .
​
How long is the BER certificate valid for?
From the date your BER Assessor publishes your BER Certificate; the BER is valid for up to 10 years. In case there is material change to the dwelling that could affect its energy performance, a BER Assessor will have to carry out a new BER Certificate .
​
What does the BER Certificate look like?
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, download a Sample of BER Certificate here.
​
How much must I pay for a BER Certificate in Dublin area?
A BER Certificate in Dublin can cost from €125 (including 21% VAT), depending on the size and the complexity of your dwelling. A BER Assessor is charged a fee of €25 to submit your BER to SEAI . A BER Assessor has to provide you with a detailed quote including all fees before carrying out your BER. There is also up to 10% discount available for multiply properties (2 or more).
Based on materials from Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland website
If you are interested in arranging a professional BER Assessment of your house or apartement please contact our BER assesor using: our Contact Page
