A new law came into effect from 1st January 2009, that you should be aware of if you are buying, selling, letting or renting a home in Ireland. It is now compulsory for all homeowners to have a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate when selling or renting a second hand property and make that information available to buyers or tenants.
A BER certificate measures the energy performance of a home and the certificate looks similar to the energy labels you would see on electrical appliances like a fridge or a washing machine.
The calculation of a home’s energy performance takes many factors into account including its size – walls, floors, roof, doors & windows; its orientation (eg. North or South facing); the materials it is built from and type of construction (eg. masonry or timber-frame); levels of insulation, ventilation & draughtproofing; type of heating and lighting systems and their controls (eg. radiators with thermostats fitted) and energy bills. It is based on the house being used in a typical way by a typical family, which may differ from how you actually use the house.
The benefit of the certificate is that it demonstrates the energy efficiency of your home to a potential buyer or tenant and allows them to factor that information into their decision making process. When looking at two similar properties in a similar location, then knowing that one will cost less to heat is an obvious advantage, particularly at a time when energy prices are rising. A win:win scenario and a potential means of making your home stand out from the crowd in the current highly competitive market.
The SEI have published indicative ratings for typical homes and their annual heating costs. For example a 3 bed semi-detached house constructed in 2008 with a B1 rating would have an annual energy cost of approx. €725 whereas a 1990’s model of the same house with a C1 rating would cost twice as much to heat.
So if you are a homeowner looking to sell or rent a second-hand property, what do you have to do?
All BER energy performance surveys must be carried out by trained BER Assessors, who are registered with Sustainable Energy Ireland and operate to a defined Code of Conduct.
To find one for your area, go to www.sei.ie/BER – click on the ‘Assessor’ box and then click on ‘Find an Assessor’. This leads to a list of all the Assessors operating in different parts of the country, where you can make your selection.
Yesterday I contacted half a dozen Assessors in the Dublin area requesting costs for a report on a 3 bed traditional terraced house and was quoted between €275 – €350. For this, the Assessor will carry out the survey of your home, feed the data into the SEI’s National BER Register which generates the Certificate along with a report indicating where improvements could be made to your home’s energy performance and send the information on to you.
However, there are a few flaws in the system.
There is no set price for a BER certificate and no regulation as yet, so it is worth doing your homework and shopping around. But make sure you know exactly what it is you are getting for your money – from the enquiries I made, it seems that there is disparity between what different Assessors are offering. For example, one talked about a one hour survey, another 3 hours; some merely pass on the SEI automatically generated report on possible improvements of 1-2 pages, and others prepare their own 16 page detailed document. Make sure you are comparing like for like to ensure real value for money.
The BER Certificate is valid for up to 10 years as long as there are no significant changes made to the property in that time that would change its energy performance. If your home achieves a low rating and you decide to carry out the recommended improvements to improve comfort levels or its saleability then you will have to stump up all over again for a brand new assessment and rating.
Also, the training of Assessors to date has been based on the assessment of new-build housing. The SEI advised that an exam for the assessment of second-hand or existing housing will be available mid-year (though some sources are stating October 2009), which existing Assessors will have to pass prior to the end of 2009, to extend their registration. The interim arrangement is that Assessors can proceed with carrying out assessments of existing homes, on the basis that the software used to gather the information has recently been updated to include second-hand properties. It does, however, open up the possibility of BER certificates being called into question at a later date, if the Assessor concerned does not subsequently pass the exam or does not take the exam before the end of the year.
It will be interesting to see how these issues develop over the course of the year.
Any seller or landlord not providing this information is breaking the law and there are penalties – a fine of up to €5,000 and / or imprisonment for up to 3 months.
For more information go to www.sei.ie
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