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Energy savings for our future...

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FAQ's

BER what is it?
A BER is similar to the energy label for a household electrical appliance like your fridge. The label has a scale of A-G. A-rated homes are the most energy efficient and G the least efficient.

A BER certificate will be compulsory for almost all new homes by mid 2008. If you are buying or renting a new house or apartment now, you may already be entitled to a BER - so do ask the seller/landlord or their agent for it.

From the 1st of January 2009 a BER certificate will be compulsory for all homes being sold or rented.

BERs will be carried out by specially trained BER assessors, registered by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI). 

It is an offence for persons not registered with SEI as BER assessors to purport to carry out a BER assessment service for the purposes of the Regulations.

What Does the BER Certificate Look Like?
ber cert
Why is There a Need for Building Energy Rating (BER)?
Building Energy Rating (BER) is a requirement of the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (2002/91/EC of 16 December 2002), which has now been transposed in Ireland by the European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 666 of 2006)

BER will make the energy performance of the building visible. For the first time, this will allow buyers and tenants to take energy performance into consideration in their decision to purchase or rent a building.

Overall, the message in a market context is: “information is power”. BER is about equipping the consumer with information and the consequent power to act in their own best interests
What are the BER Implementation Dates in Ireland?
The requirement to provide a BER is being introduced on a phased basis as follows:

  • New dwellings: The regulations apply to new dwellings for which planning permission was applied for on or after 1st January 2007. Transitional BER exemptions will apply to new dwellings for which planning permission is applied on or before 31st December 2006, where the new dwellings involved are substantially completed on or before 30th June 2008.
  • New Non-Domestic Buildings: The regulations apply to new non-domestic buildings for which planning permission was applied for on or after 1st July 2008. Transitional BER exemptions will apply to new non-domestic buildings for which planning permission is applied on or before 30th June 2008 provided the new non-domestic buildings involved are substantially completed by 30th June 2010.
  • Existing Buildings: (dwellings and other buildings) when offered for sale or letting on or after 1st January 2009.
  • Large Public Service Buildings: A public body shall, in relation to a large building occupied by it on or after 1 January 2009, secure and display a BER certificate in a prominent place clearly visible to the public.
When Does the Obligation to Produce a BER Arise?
1) 1st January 2007: Newly constructed dwelling for which planning permission was applied for on or after 1.1.2007.

When the new dwelling is offered for sale “off plans”: a provisional BER certificate must be produced by the vendor to potential buyers or tenants, based on the pre- construction plans; and when the same new dwelling is completed, a BER certificate must be supplied to the purchaser, based on the plans of the dwelling as constructed (to take account of any design changes during construction.

When a the new dwelling is built for a specific owner-occupier: A BER certificate must be procured by the person commissioning the dwelling, prior to taking up occupation of the dwelling.

(2) 1st January 2009: Sale or letting of ALL dwellings

A BER certificate must accompany an offer to sell or let a dwelling by the vendor or by the landlord or by their agent (e.g. auctioneer, estate agent, solicitor).
What Will Happen if I Fail to Obtain a BER for My Dwelling as Required by Law?
If you fail to 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.
Who Can Carry Out the BER?
BER assessments are carried out by registered BER assessors who have trained under the National Framework of Qualifications and have registered with SEI. A list of registered BER assessors is available on the the SEI website . 

BER assessors must meet requirements set by SEI, including the signing up to a Code of Practice

What Happens if a Building Gets a Relatively Low BER?
There is no legal penalty for getting an inferior BER (e.g. “D1” as against “B1”) for a dwelling. However, new dwellings must comply with the “Conservation of Fuel and Energy” provisions of the Building Regulations. 

The impact of a lower BER on the marketability of dwellings offered for sale or letting will depend on overall housing demand, other factors such as the location of the dwelling, and the availability/price of domestic fuels.
What Can Be Done to Improve a BER?
The advisory report which accompanies the BER certificate will contain recommendations on how to improve the energy performance of the dwelling. This may encourage the carrying out of energy performance improvement works either:

(i) before the sale or letting of the dwelling, in order to improve the BER/ marketability; or (ii) after the sale by the purchaser of the dwelling, in order to reduce home heating bills and/or improve home comfort.

Building energy performance options might include measures such as:

  • insulating the hot water cylinder and pipework;
  • increasing the insulation in the walls/attic/floor;
  • installing advanced energy efficient glazing;
  • measures to achieve controlled healthy ventilation;
  • replacing an old or inefficient boiler with a more efficient boiler;
  • installing modern heating controls;
  • installing certain types of renewable energy heating systems.


For this reason, the advisory report will be a key document. It may be particularly useful to those who have just purchased an existing dwelling which they plan to improve or remodel in their early stages of occupation.
How Will BER of New Dwellings be Carried Out?
The person or organisation building the new dwelling will engage a BER assessor to carry out the BER. All BER assessors will be required to follow a standardised procedure using an approved calculation methodology.

Normally a BER certificate and advisory report will be issued by the BER assessor on the basis of the plans and specifications of the new dwelling “as constructed”.

In the case of new homes being sold (or let) “off the plans”, a provisional BER assessment may be carried out on the basis of the plans and specifications for the intended dwelling in which case a provisional BER certificate and advisory report will be issued by the BER assessor. However, a BER certificate must subsequently be issued when the dwelling is completed, which take must account of any relevant variations made to the details of the new dwelling during the construction phase. 

A need for provisional BER certificates is normally expected to arise only in the case of group housing developments, in estate or apartment form. A provisional BER certificate lapses on completion of the dwelling or after 24 months, whichever is the sooner. 
How will the BER of Existing Dwellings be carried out?
A BER of an existing dwelling being offered for sale or letting on or after 1 January 2009 must be carried out by a BER assessor, at the expense of the vendor or landlord - who must provide the resulting BER certificate and advisory report to prospective buyers/tenants. 

The BER assessor will normally survey the dwelling to record, for example, the size of the dwelling, the construction, the insulation levels, the types of windows, the ventilation features, details of the heating and hot water systems, etc. This information will then be used to calculate the energy performance of the dwelling and to give it an energy rating. 

All BER assessors will be required to follow a standardised procedure using an approved survey and calculation methodology to arrive at a rating. 
What Impact Will BER Have on Irish Householders?
BERs will mean that anyone buying a house will be able to check the energy performance of the house and get an indication of the annual running costs. Therefore it will allow people to take energy costs into consideration in their purchasing decisions. This is becoming more and more important as energy costs are increasing all the time. 

BERs will allow house hunters to compare the energy performance of two different houses on an equal scale. It will allow you to compare two house that on the surface appear very similar such as two 3 bed semi d’s or equally two very different houses, such as a 2 bed apartment and a 5 bed house.

The advisory report that will accompany a BER Certificate will provide information to homeowners on how to improve the energy performance of their property and thereby its comfort and affordability, and enhancing its value and sustainability.

SEI expects that BER will ultimately improve energy awareness in the property market both for home buyers and developers and this awareness can be expected over time to place a somewhat higher value on more energy efficient properties, and by implication to encourage/ provoke owners of less energy efficient properties to take steps to upgrade them.
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