Over 40,000 Building Energy Ratings issued in six months

Sustainable Energy Ireland has today announced new figures for the Building Energy Rating scheme which show that over 40,000 BER certificates have been issued by SEI since 1 January  2009 when it became mandatory by law for all homes offered for sale or rent to have a BER.

Combined with the number of BER certificates issued prior to this date during the phased implementation, a total of 44,000 BERs are now published on the SEI website at www.sei.ie/ber. There are currently over 2,700 BER assessors registered with SEI to carry out this work. 

Kevin O’Rourke, head of built environment, SEI said: “These figures show that, despite a slow housing market, a strong surge in demand for BER certification has been maintained through the first half of 2009. This indicates a positive willingness among property vendors and their agents to meet their legal obligations, and an awareness by home viewers of their entitlement to the BER. The BER concept is about empowering consumer choice, and encouraging building owners to take steps to improve their home’s energy rating with the accompanying benefits in energy savings, improved comfort and a better quality national building stock.

"SEI has continued its public information campaign to raise awareness levels among buyers and sellers alike. This will add further impetus to the enforcement activities of local authority building control officers to achieve comprehensive compliance, and we expect significant further increases in BER numbers to year end."

A BER, which is a requirement of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, is similar to the energy label on a fridge and carries a scale from A1-G, with A1 being the most efficient. By law, a BER certificate must be supplied by anyone selling or letting a home and can only be provided by a BER assessor who is registered with SEI.  The BER makes the energy performance of a home visible to prospective buyers and tenants and enables them to take energy performance into consideration in their building purchase or rental decision.

The building controloffices within local authorities have been empowered to enforce the requirement for building owners to provide a BER when a property is offered for sale or rental.  The Department of the Environment has issued directions in this regard, and is actively monitoring the level of enforcement activity. Fines of up to €5,000 apply for non-compliance with the regulations. Information on BER can be found on SEI’s website at www.sei.ie/ber