BER what is it?
Building Energy Rating, a BER is an indication of the energy performance of a home. It covers energy use for space heating, water heating, ventilation and lighting calculated on the basis of standard occupancy. 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 will tend to have the lowest energy bills.
From the 1st of January 2009, a BER certificate became compulsory for all homes being sold or offered for rent. If you are buying or renting a house or apartment, you are entitled to a BER so ask the seller, landlord or agent for it. A BER certificate is accompanied by an advisory report which will identify how you might improve the energy performance of your home. A BER is also required, subject to transitional arrangements, where construction of a new home begins on or after 1st January 2007.
There are exemptions for certain categories of homes, for example, protected structures and certain temporary homes. A new home (i.e that has never been sold or occupied) is exempt from the BER requirement if the planning application was submitted on or before the 31st December 2006 and if it was substantially completed by 30th June 2008. 'Substantially completed' means that the external walls have been erected. BER assessments are carried out by registered BER Assessors who have been trained under the National Framework of Qualifications and have registered with SEAI.
Who needs a BER Certificate ?
A seller or landlord must provide a BER to prospective buyers or tenants when a home is offered for sale or rent.
There are exceptions for certain categories of buildings e.g. protected structures and certain temporary buildings (See Statutory Instrument No. 666 of 2006 for details of exemptions)
Who carries out a BER Assessment?
BER assessments are carried out by registered BER Assessors. A person offering a home for sale or rent, or their agent is required to engage a BER Assessor to carry out a BER assessment. SEAI maintain a list of currently registered Assessors which can be found on this website https://ndber.seai.ie/Pass/assessors/search.aspx
How much does a BER cost?
There is no set fee for a BER and it is a matter for a BER Assessor to charge as they deem appropriate for the particular services offered. SEAI strongly recommend to all people wishing to commission a BER assessment to shop around for the best price and if possible to check references with other clients. Assessors are charged a levy of €25 to submit a BER assessment to the national BER database and this must be included in the price charged.
You should agree a fixed price inclusive of VAT for all the services the BER Assessor is providing. (Note that BER Assessors are required under the terms of registration to provide such a written quotation.)
Homeowners should check Assessor references
While comparing the quotes that you have received and before you make any final decision, request the prospective Assessors to provide references where they completed a BER assessment on a dwelling. Contact the references supplied (try for two or more):
• ask if the job came in on time and on price
• confirm that they are fully satisfied with the service
• see if there were any issues during or since the BER was completed and whether they were resolved to the clients satisfaction
Homeowners and Assessors should formalise the relationship
The contract for the completion of the Building Energy Rating is between you, the customer, and your chosen Assessor. Under Section 11 of the BER Assessors Code of Practice, a BER Assessor is required to provide the client with a written quotation including price and any circumstances where the client may incur additional cost, and to obtain the client's written acceptance of this offer prior to commencing any BER work.
To assist BER Assessors in discharging this obligation a template has been prepared for use by anyone who might consider it to be a useful. To view or download the Letter of Engagement templates, please click here for New Provisional Dwellings and here for New Final and Existing Dwellings.
In short, the decision is with you, the customer. The contract is between you and the Assessor. The after-care responsibility of the Building Energy Rating rests with the Assessor.
What the Homeowner can expect from a BER assessment
Once you have selected your Assessor and signed a letter of engagement the BER assessment can take place. The Assessor will make an appointment to visit your home so that they can complete a BER assessment survey on it.
When the Assessor arrives at your home they will conduct a non intrusive survey. A BER assessment will typically take a couple of hours to complete (depending of course on the home size and complexity). The Assessor will need to have access to all the rooms in your home.
During the survey they will be measuring the area of the rooms, measuring the windows, the thickness of the walls, the levels of insulation, the heating system, the number of flues, the floor types and the wall types. The Assessor will typically collect 80 pieces of data which describe your home, which are then entered by the Assessor into the BER software tool in order to generate the BER.
How the Homeowner can prepare for the BER assessment
There are a number of items that would be helpful to the Assessor if the homeowner were able to provide the following:
• A recent electricity bill so that the Assessor can note the Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN)
• The date of construction of the dwelling
• Details of any previously published BER for the dwelling on the national register
• Any plans or specifications of the dwelling if they are available
• Details of any upgrades that have been made to the dwelling e.g. insulation
• The boiler model number or any documentation for the boiler
• Making sure the Assessor has safe and unobstructed access to all areas of the dwelling
What happens after the BER survey?
The BER Assessor will return to their office and input the survey findings into the BER assessment software called DEAP. There are approximately 80 data inputs that the Assessor must enter.
Once this is complete the Assessor will log on to the online SEAI National Administration System (NAS) and upload the DEAP file. This will generate the BER Certificate and the Advisory Report.
The Assessor will then give the homeowner a copy of the BER Certificate and the Advisory Report.
The Assessor will be able to answer any queries you have relating to your dwellings BER certificate.
SEAI maintain the register of BER certificates. To see your BER on the national register please go to https://ndber.seai.ie/pass/ber/search.aspx and enter either the BER number of MPRN number for your dwelling.
Obligations of the Assessor
• The Assessor should carry out the Building Energy Rating (BER) in accordance with the DEAP methodology and adhering to the BER Assessors Code of Practice.
• A BER Assessor is required to provide in writing to the client (i) a description of its proposed services, (ii) a description of the proposed cost (including VAT and expenses) for such services including all details of any circumstances where the client may incur additional costs, VAT or expenses and (iii) a disclosure of relevant business interests
• The amount charged by a BER Assessor for his / her services is a matter for agreement between the BER Assessor and the client.
• Each BER Assessor acknowledges that the responsibility for conducting BER assessments and the accuracy of the results of such assessments rests solely with them and no liability shall attach to SEAI for any error, misconduct, malpractice, act or omission howsoever arising from carrying out a BER assessment, the accuracy of the results of such assessments or resulting from the findings of a BER assessment.
• All assessments should be carried out in compliance with the relevant health and safety laws and standards.
• BER Assessors are required to act in an independent manner at all times when discharging their obligations under the Regulations.
• The Assessor should supply a receipt for any / all payments made
Homeowner Duties in Facilitating the BER
• You should provide safe access to your home in order for the Assessor to complete the BER
• The Assessor should have access to all the rooms in the dwelling
• Provide the MPRN number which can be found on your electricity bill
• You should agree a start and finish date with your Assessor
• Check the provided references
• Ask the BER Assessor for a quote
• Ask for a letter of engagement
Agreed Terms for Dispute Resolution
• If a dispute arises between you and your Assessor in relation to the BER, you should as a first step attempt to find a solution together through dialogue.
• If that fails SEAI recommends that the matter be referred to arbitration under the Arbitration rules of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
• Although SEAI has a comprehensive QA scheme in place, we do not carry out audits on request from homeowners. SEAI will only undertake an audit on a BER certificate on foot of a complaint if they feel there are sufficient grounds to do so.
• SEAI can only deal with homeowner complaints if they are received in writing.
BER Contact Information
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
PO Box 135
Cahirciveen
Co Kerry
Members of the public
Please call 1890 734237 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Registered BER Assessors
Please call 1890 252738 or you e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.