Legal, Privacy and Cookies

Unless otherwise stated, the copyright and any other rights in all material on this site are owned by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. You are permitted to print and download extracts from this site on the following basis:

Use of documents and related graphics on this site is for information and/or personal use only:

• Any copies of these pages saved to disk or to any other storage medium may only be used for subsequent viewing purposes or to print extracts for personal use.
• No documents or related graphics on this site are to be modified in any way
• Graphics on this site are not to be used separately from the accompanying text
• No part of this site may be reproduced or stored in any other site or included in any public or private electronic retrieval system or service without the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's prior written permission.
• No use or display may be made of the name or logo of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland without the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's prior written permission
• Any rights not expressly granted in these Terms are reserved.

The contents of these pages are provided as an information guide only. They are intended to enhance public access to information about the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. While every effort is made in preparing material for publication no responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on these pages or any site to which these pages connect. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland reserves the right at any time to revise, amend, alter or delete the information provided on this site.

Although every effort is made to ensure the reliability of listed sites this cannot be taken as an endorsement of these sites.

BER Disclaimer

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is responsible for the registration of BER Assessors and ongoing management of the Building Energy Rating (BER) Scheme. BER Assessors are independent of and are not agents or employees of The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

The rating methodology used to produce the BER reflected in the BER Certificate incorporates standard occupancy assumptions and a range of technical judgements based upon the views of various expert organisations regarding the energy efficiency impact of various building components and attributes. A building’s energy rating may change over time due to many factors including deterioration or modification to the fabric of the building, changes to the heating systems incorporating into the building or changes to the way in which buildings are rated. 

A building’s energy rating is only a guide to its overall energy efficiency.  Actual energy usage and energy efficiency will depend on how occupants operate the building.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland does not endorse or guarantee the ratings of BER Assessors.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland does not warrant and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, completeness or merit of any BER Certificate or any material or advice provided by BER Assessors.

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 is in place to ensure governmental departments and listed public bodies make the information they hold available to the public.

The Freedom of Information Act gives individuals the following rights:

1. The right to access official records held by governmental departments and listed public bodies.
2. The right to have personal information relating to them amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading.
3. The right to be supplied with reasons for decisions made or taken by governmental departments and listed public bodies that affect them.

Disclaimer/Note:

There are exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act where, due to specific circumstances, the requested information will not be released, for example: to protect another individual’s privacy rights. If any exemptions are necessary, the reasons will be provided and explained to you by the FOI Unit.

How to make a request to SEAI under the Freedom of Information legislation

To make a request to SEAI under Freedom of Information legislation, please send your request to our FOI Unit via email: FOI@seai.ie.

or in writing to:

FOI Unit
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
Finisklin Business Park, Sligo
F91 VK3V
 

In your request, we would ask that you:

• Specify that the request is being made under the Freedom of Information Act;
• Give as much detail as possible to support your request to enable us to process it efficiently; and
• Include your return address or email address.

Is there a Fee for making the request?

When the request is for personal information there are no charges unless there is a significant number of records.

In the case of requests which relate to non-personal information there are charges are applied for search retrieval and copying. The relevant section of the Act here is Section 27(2) and these fees relate to:

(a) Determining whether it holds the information requested;

(b) Locating the information or documents containing the information

(c) Retrieving such information or documents

(d) Extracting the information from the files, documents, electronic or other information sources containing both it and other material not relevant to the request, and

(e) Preparing a schedule specifying the records for consideration for release.

In relation to the search, retrieval and copying charges there is a minimum threshold of €101 below which no search, retrieval and copying charges can be charged. Once the charge reaches the €101 full fees apply. There is a cap on the amount that can be charged and this is set at €500. These is also a further upper ceiling limit on estimated search, retrieval and copying fees set at €700 above which a body can refuse to process a request unless the requester is prepared to refine the request below the limit.

How is a Freedom of Information request processed by SEAI?

The FOI Unit will issue an acknowledgement letter to you within 10 working days (excluding Public Holidays) of your request being received. The next stages of the process will be clearly explained in this letter.

A decision regarding your request will normally be issued by the FOI Unit within 20 working days of the receipt of your request.

In some cases, an extension of time may be necessary to complete the decision. If this occurs while processing your request, the FOI Unit will contact you and explain this requirement.

Can you appeal a decision?

Yes. If you would like to appeal the decision made by the FOI Unit, you can do so by sending a request in writing asking for an internal review of the decision to the Freedom Of Information Officer.

An internal review fee of €30 (€10 for medical card holders) is applicable when appealing a decision and this is to be sent with your written submission.

The appeal process will involve a full reassessment of your original Freedom of Information request at a more senior level.

If, after the internal review, you are unsatisfied with the decision and you would like to appeal again, your appeal should be directed to the Office of the Information Commissioner.

The fee for appeals to the Office of the Information Commissioner is €50 and €15 for medical card holders and their dependants.

Find more information on our Freedom of Information Publication Scheme here.

To view SEAI’s terms and conditions of purchase please download the PDF below:

• Terms and Conditions of Purchase

To view SEAI’s DEAP4 Terms of Use, please download the PDF below:

• DEAP4 Terms of Use

This statement relates to our privacy practices in connection with how the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) processes your data in our capacity as a data controller, including through this website. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of other websites. Any external links to other websites are clearly identifiable as such. Some technical terms used in this statement are explained at the end of this page

SEAI fully respects your right to privacy. This Data Protection and Privacy Statement relates to our privacy practices in connection with the use of personal data. This Data Protection and Privacy Statement is intended to help you understand what personal data SEAI collects about you, why we collect it, what we do with it, who we may share it with and how we protect it. It also details the rights available to you in relation to how we hold and use your personal data, how to exercise those rights, and what to do if you require more information or wish to make a complaint. The use of “we”, “us”, “our” and “ours” in this Data Protection and Privacy Statement refer to SEAI. You can find out more on our About Us webpage.

“Personal Data” is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“Data Subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier such as a user IP address or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person and includes Special Categories of Personal Data.

"Special Categories of Personal Data" means any Personal Data that reveals racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership; genetic data or biometric data and data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation.

We ensure that the personal information we collect is appropriate to the purposes for which it is obtained and is processed in compliance with the provisions of Applicable Data Protection Law which means in no particular order:

• The General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the “GDPR”));
• The Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018;
• The European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks & Services) (Privacy & Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011;
• The EU ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC (as amended) (the “ePrivacy Directive”);
• Any successor or replacement to the laws set out above; and

All other industry guidelines (whether statutory or non-statutory) or applicable codes of practice and guidance notes issued from time to time by the Data Protection Commission relating to the processing of personal data or privacy.

SEAI is a "Controller" under the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) ("GDPR") in respect of certain personal data you furnish to us.

We collect and process personal data relating to you in connection with our relationship with you. Types of personal data includes but are not limited to:

• your name and contact details, including your address, phone number, mobile number and email address;
• your IP address;
• your payment information such as bank account details;
• details regarding your property: Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), Gas Point Reference Number (GPRN), dwelling type, year home built and occupied, works or measures carried out or to be carried out on your property;
• information about you which you provide us with when you apply to different schemes that we offer, including information that demonstrates your eligibility for the scheme;
• information about your interactions with us, such as customer service records, including complaints and claims;
• recordings of telephone conversations between you and our customer support teams;
• any details provided in making statutory information requests: Freedom of Information requests, Access to Environmental Information requests, Ombudsman appeals, or Subject Access request; and
• any other personal data relating to you that you provide to us or that we generate about you in connection with our relationship with you, including records of any consent you have given and your use of the SEAI website.

We also collect Special Categories of Personal Data in relation to customers who have special requirements based on health grounds. Information regarding the disability or difficulty requiring the special services is collected in order to assist SEAI to meet the needs of those applicants.

We mainly collect and record your personal data from you. You will provide this information directly to us, when you contact us in writing, by telephone or electronically. For example,

• when you make a Freedom of Information Request, we collect certain personal data;
• if you apply for a grant, we collect information you provide us in the grant application form and we may use this information to link it to other grant applications you have made; and
• through your participation in the grant approval process, e-mails you send us or verbal information which you provide by phone is recorded or entered into our systems

When you visit the SEAI website, we gather cookies, statistical and other analytical information collected on an aggregate basis of all visitors to our website. This non-personal data comprises information that cannot be used to identify or contact you, such as demographic information regarding, for example, user IP addresses where they have been clipped or anonymised, browser types and other anonymous statistical data involving the use of our website.

SEAI does not collect any personal data about you on this website, apart from information which you volunteer (for example by e-mailing us or by completing an online registration form).

We also obtain information from third parties, for example, information provided to us by the contractors you have engaged to carry out works or measures on your home or business under SEAI grant programmes. If you purchase an electronic vehicle, the car dealer you have engaged with will share your personal data with us when they apply for an EV grant on your behalf. A BER assessor may provide us with certain information in order to provide you with a BER certificate for your home. Energy Suppliers who have carried out measures in your home may supply us with certain limited information to receive energy credits and where the measure is to be audited they may provide us with further personal data to facilitate a visit to your home to inspect the work. A Grantee or Landlord may provide certain information for the purpose of the administration of a Grant, such as MPRN or location details. A grantee may nominate you as their representative to act on their behalf.

Please view our cookie policy here.

The Personal Data that is referred to above will be processed for the purposes of:

• performing our functions as a public authority, including operating the various energy efficiency programmes;
• providing customer service to you and contacting you if required to respond to any communications you might send to us;
• complying with our legal obligations;
• protecting or enforcing our rights or the rights of any third party;
• processing of a grant application;
• establishing, exercising or defending legal claims;
• sending you promotional and marketing materials;
• improving the services which we provide to you;
• improving our existing schemes;
• developing new schemes;
• responding to requests and providing information;
• detecting and preventing fraud and other crime; and
• a range of other activities which we are obliged to undertake, or which we have gained your consent to complete.

Our legal bases for collecting and using this information in accordance with the provisions of this Data Protection and Privacy Statement are:

• that it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you;
• that it is necessary in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you;
• that it is necessary for the performance of tasks that we carry out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us by law (including the Sustainable Energy Act, 2002)
• that it is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation that applies to us; or
• that you have provided consent to us for the use of your personal data.

Where you have provided consent for the use of your personal data, you can withdraw it at any time by informing dataprotection@seai.ie, however, this will not affect the lawfulness of processing which was carried out based on your consent prior to its withdrawal.

As part of our ongoing operations, SEAI contracts certain third parties to carry out services on our behalf and, we may share your information with our service providers who provide us with support services. We disclose your personal data to various recipients in connection with the above purposes, examples include:

• third parties who we engage to provide services to us, such as outsourced service providers, IT service providers, professional advisers, lawyers, consultants and auditors;
• other public authorities and bodies where required or permitted by law, such as the Revenue Commissioners, the Comptroller and Auditor General, An Garda Síochána or other law enforcement authorities for the purposes of prevention, investigation or detection of crime; and
• comply with any applicable law or regulation, a summons, search warrant, court or regulatory order, or other statutory requirement.

SEAI expects such third parties to process any data disclosed to them in accordance with applicable law, including with respect to data confidentiality and security. Where these third parties act as a “data processor” (for example, a call centre operator) they carry out their tasks on our behalf and upon our instructions for the above mentioned purposes. In this case your personal data will only be disclosed to these parties to the extent necessary to provide required services. We ensure that these third parties are subject to appropriate contracts and other safeguards.

Where you communicate with us via the SEAI website, the nature of the internet is such that we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us via the internet. No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. However, we will take all reasonable steps (including appropriate technical and organisational measures) to protect your personal data.

We keep our computer systems, files and buildings secure by following legal requirements and international security guidance.

We make sure that our staff, and anyone with access to personal data that we are responsible for, are fully trained on how to protect personal data.

We ensure that our processes clearly identify the requirements for managing personal data and that they are up to date.

We regularly audit our systems and processes to ensure that we remain compliant with these policies and legal obligations.

SEAI aims to ensure that all personal data are correct. SEAI captures, stores and processes your personal data in order to carry out a range of activities. You have a range of rights available to you to give you confidence that your data is appropriately managed.

You have the right, without undue delay, to:

Gain access to and copies of your personal data: you are entitled to receive, on request and free of charge, a copy of all your personal data that we hold. There are some limitations to this right. For example, if the data also relates to another person and we do not have that person’s consent, or if the data is subject to legal privilege. Where there is data that we cannot disclose, we will explain this to you.

Ensuring that your data is accurate: our aim is to ensure that the data we hold about you is correct and up to date. From time to time we may contact you to verify the information that we hold. You may also contact us to correct any errors that you notice.

Granting or removing consent: where we require your consent for any processing, for example, to provide you with direct marketing communications, we will clearly explain what the consent is for, and any consequences of giving or refusing consent, and will provide that consent can only be given by way of a positive action by you. We will also ensure that you are able to withdraw any such consent at any time.

Restricting processing of your data: you have the right to request us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example, if there is a dispute over our rights to carry out specific processing activities, or where you do not want us to delete data. We will respond promptly to your request and will provide an explanation if we cannot fully comply.

Deletion of your data: in certain circumstances, you may have the right to have some or all of your personal data deleted from our records. This is sometimes referred to as the “right to be forgotten”. This may occur if, for example, we retain data which is no longer required by us, or if you withdraw a consent. If you continue to have a relationship with us, we must retain the data we need to manage this relationship. We will respond promptly to your request, and provide reasons if we object to the deletion of any of your personal data.

International transfers of data: in certain circumstances, we may transfer your personal information internationally, including outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). Should we do this, we ensure that all transfers are made in accordance with data protection law and that your data it will be given an equivalent level of protection that it has when it is being managed in Ireland.

Right to complain: You also have a right to complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commission if we fail to meet the required standards of data protection. You can contact the Office of the Data Protection Commission at:

Telephone: +353 (0)57 868 4800 or +353 761 104 800
Postal Address: Data Protection Commission: 21 Fitzwilliam Square South Dublin 2 D02 RD28 Ireland Webforms https://forms.dataprotection.ie/contact

In certain circumstances, you have the right to pursue a remedy through the Courts if we fail to meet the required standards of data protection. 

The collection and use of your personal data by SEAI is overseen by SEAI’s Data Protection Officer. If you wish to exercise any of your rights above or if, for any reason, you have a request or complaint about our use of your personal information, or you are unhappy in any way with the information we provide to you, we would like you to contact us directly so that we can address your complaint.

If you wish to contact our Data Protection Officer, you can do so in the following ways:

By email: dataprotection@seai.ie

SEAI endeavours to ensure that personal data are kept as current as possible and that irrelevant or excessive data are deleted or made anonymous as soon as reasonably practicable. We generally retain personal data for as long as is required to satisfy the purpose for which it was collected. We are required to keep certain types of information for a specific period of time in order to comply with legal requirements. The length of time we keep any part of your personal information will depend on the type of information and the purpose for which it was obtained.

SEAI may change this Data Protection and Privacy Statement at any time. Any changes to this privacy statement will be posted on this website, so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.

SEAI uses Google Analytics to collect information about how people use this site. Google Analytics stores information about what pages you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you clicked on. We do not collect or store your personal information e.g. your name or address, so this information cannot be used to identify who you are. Google provides further information.

SEAI maintains social network accounts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and embeds widgets from these networks as well as YouTube to provide follow buttons. This may result in cookies being set by these networks and third parties while using our site. Please note we are not responsible for the content hosted on third party sites. Please visit their websites for further information on their cookie policies.

Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Statement.

Cookie declaration last updated on June 2020