BER, Building Energy Ratings
BER Building Energy Ratings
Building Energy Ratings or BER as commonly known has become a key player in the management of your home economics. Apart from being a compulsory requirement for new buildings it’s a valuable guide for retrofitting your home energy system if you want to participate in the Home Energy Saving Scheme of the SEI and avail yourself of theirsubstantial grants.
What Is a BER (Building Energy Rating)?
A BER is an index of the energy performance of your building. It is similar to the energy rating system applied to your home electrical appliances. The energy performance of a building will be indicated on a scale spread from A to G where the latter indicates the least energy efficient. A color code is also used along with the above grading where Green indicates the best energy performance and Red the worst.
Another important indication in this document is the CO2 emissions due to the energy performance of the building per annum.
Who should posses the BER?
The following must possess BER documents;
- All home and building owners for sale or rent from 1st January 2009.
- A seller or a land lord of a new building when prospective clients requests it
- A new building constructor who has applied for planning permission on or after 1st January 2007
- New buildings offered “off plans” for sale or rent
The Exceptions;
The following are some of the exemptions from the above requirements (as defined in the regulation SI 666 of 2006);
- Temporary buildings Stand alone buildings with floor area less than 50m2
- Protected structures
- Places of worship etc.
Is there a penalty for non compliance?
If convicted the offender may be subjected to a fine of up to Euro 5,000.
Who are responsible for the BER assessment and management of the scheme?
Sustainable Energy Ireland is responsible for the administration of the BER certification program, maintaining the digital data base, training the qualified BER assessors and maintaining the register of BER assessors.
The BER assessors carry out the assessment of energy performance of a building using tools and software prescribed by the administrators of the program.
A BER During the construction of a building?
A Provisional BER based on the submitted permission plans is required during the construction of a building.
If changes to the permission designs are done these should be reflected in the final BER certificates.
Validity
- A final BER Certificate has a validity of 10 years from the date of issue unless changes have been done to the building structure affecting the building energy performance subsequent to the issue.
- A Provisional BER is valid for 2 years from the date of issue.
What are the specifics considered in the issue of BER and its companion document the Advisory Report?
The components of the building considered in a BER assessment are;
- Wall construction
- Roof construction
- Floor dimensions
- Window and Door sizes and their orientation
- Type of construction
- Insulation level
- Ventilation and air tightness
- Supply System and the equipment used for space heating and Hot water.
- Use of Renewable Energy for heating
- Distribution of the HVAC systems and its controls
- Type of Lighting
- The annual power consumption of the above items
The total annual energy consumption is compared against a notional standard family’s usage to arrive at a rating.
Services by King Group CES
King Group CES along with their associates is a major provider of services related to the issue of BER certifications such as;
- Permission and “as built” Design guidance pertaining to Building features related to BER assessment.
- Obtaining for you the services of registered BER assessors
- Supply, install and commission Heating Ventilating
- Supply and install Insulation, moisture barriers, attic insulation, and windows with double layer glazing with inert gas or low emission glass.
- Free information regarding BER Certification, Advisory report, HES Scheme and the grants available for retrofitting under this scheme etc.
Contacting us
For further information on BER and Advisory Report please contact us on callsave 045 840116 or complete our free online enquiry form…click here
