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Energy efficiency has been the talk of the town recently. Buildings and houses are now being checked if they passed the Building Energy Rating (BER) and BER cert is a legal requirement. The SI 666 of 2006 was created to provide buyers with a standard information about the building’s energy rating. What is a BER Cert? A BER Cert is a certificate that bears the following information: • Building name and address • BER number • Date of issue • BER expiration • Number of BER assessor • Company number of BER assessor How it looks like? The BER cert is similar to the appliance’s energy label with a scale of A-G with G as the least efficient and A1 as the most efficient. Who needs BER cert? BER cert is a requirement if one is selling or renting his house. You need to have a BER cert if: • The houses and apartments planning permissions were applied on or after January 1, 2007. • Houses or apartments sold or been rented on or after January 1, 2009. What is the advantage of having a BER Cert? Since it is a legal requirement, every dwelling should have one. It helps the buyer or renters to know the energy efficiency of the unit. Even if the building was constructed years ago, beginning January 1, 2009, BER cert is required. The owner, agent or landlord must provide building ratings. Who issues a BER Cert? BER assessors, trained and registered with the Sustainable Authority of Ireland (SEAI) issues the BER cert. They passed the examinations and undergo continuous training and auditing under the SEAI. BER Calculation The building or house BER is calculated with the use of Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) software being published by the Sustainable Energy Ireland. It calculates the carbon dioxide emissions related to the facility. It also includes the energy use for fabric building, space and water heating; lightning calculated basing on the standard occupancy. BER Cert Validity The certificate is valid for 10 years from the date of issue. BER cert will change once there are changes made in the dwelling that might affect the energy performance. Who issues the BER Cert? It is issued by expert BER assessors and licensed under the SEAI. Which buildings are exempted from acquiring BER Cert? • Churches or building used in worship of any religion • Monuments • Preserved buildings • Buildings with less than 50 sq.m. floor area • Some temporary construction Pass or Fail? With BER, there is no pass or fail grade. The certification is based on the real value calculated on the property. As a legal requirement, every home or buildings not exempted in securing BER should make sure that they secure the BER cert for saving and energy efficiency.
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BER Certificate, BER Assessor, BER,
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