SEAI - Energy Management - the BER Certificate

Curriculum Link: Section 2. Resource Management and Consumer Studies,
Section 4. Elective 1 – Home Design and Management

Building Energy Rating

A Building Energy Rating (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. 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. A BER certificate is accompanied by an advisory report which will identify how you might improve the energy performance of your home.

BER in Greater Detail

Who needs a BER?

A seller or landlord must provide a BER to prospective buyers or tenants when a home is offered for sale or rent.vThere are exceptions for certain categories of buildings e.g. protected structures and certain temporary buildings.

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 theassessment.

How is a BER calculated?

A BER is based on:

The characteristics of major components of the dwelling (wall, roof and floor dimensions, window and door sizes and orientations).
The construction type and levels of insulation.
Ventilation and air tightness features.
The systems for heat supply (including renewable energy), distribution and control.
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.

The energy performance is expressed as:

(a) Primary energy use per unit floor area per year (kWh/m2/yr) represented on an A to G scale (see BER certificate); and

(b) associated Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions in kgCO₂/m²/yr (see BER Certificate)

A BER is only an indication of the energy performance of a house. Actual energy usage will depend on how the occupants operate the house. In that way it is similar to the concept of a fuel economy rating for a car (miles per gallon or litres per 100 km). A BER does not cover electricity used for purposes other than heating, lighting, pumps and fans i.e. does not allow for cooking, refrigeration, laundry etc.

Activities

Useful links

If you want to look into this topic further, click on these links below:

BER Information leaflet
DEC - Display Energy Certificate (DEC), similar to a BER but for public sector buildings greater than 1000m sq including schools.

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