A Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate is a measure of a property’s energy efficiency graded on a scale. It is meant to allow homeowners and prospective buyers to compare the energy performance of similar buildings.

The better the BER, which comes on a scale of A – G, the less energy it takes to heat, and the less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are produced by heating it.

A better BER will mean less expensive heating bills and a more comfortable, environmentally friendly home.

Getting a BER is required in many instances now, and even if not required it can still be an extremely helpful tool to allow homeowners to understand the energy efficiency of their property, and how they can improve on it.

The BER certification is assessed via the Domestic Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) methodology for assessing a home’s energy performance and carbon emissions from space heating, water heating, ventilation, and lighting.

The DEAP methodology expresses the energy performance of a home through its primary energy consumption in kilowatt hours per metre squared of the property per year (kWh/m²/year). The carbon emissions from the property are expressed as kilograms of CO2 emitted per metre squared of the property per year.

This will be shown on the BER Cert with a specific calculation of each for your home, and where that falls in the A – G range.

The DEAP Assessment uses a Calculated Energy Consumption which is independent of the number of people living in the property, and the level of heating they use.

Getting a BER Cert must be done by an SEAI registered Assessor who will inspect your home and each room. The assessor will look at individual elements such as the heating systems, ventilation, and elements of the building fabric.

Elements of the survey will include:

During the survey, the assessor will also ask if any retrofit of home improvements have been carried out. If they have the homeowner will be expected to provide documentation backing this up.

It is now a legal requirement for any home being sold or rented in Ireland to have a BER. This will allow the prospective buyers or tenants to compare with similar properties and estimate what their energy bills are likely to be.

It is also typically required for all newly built homes to have a BER of A2 or greater in Ireland now to meet energy efficiency standards.

Getting a BER Assessment done can also be extremely useful for homeowners who are not planning on selling or renting, but want to improve their property. Having the assessment carried out can point out the best ways in which the energy efficiency of the property.

Lastly, a BER Assessment is typically required as part of the SEAI’s grant process for home improvement grants.

The SEAI offers several grants for energy efficiency upgrades to homes which can help with the cost of Insulation, Solar PV, or Heat Pumps. 

Depending on which part of the grant scheme a person is applying for a BER Certificate may be required before or after the works are carried out before receiving a grant, or both.

Individual grants offered under the Better Energy Homes Scheme require a BER Assessment to be carried out after the upgrade works have been completed to receive the grant payment.

These fully funded home improvements are aimed at providing a range of energy efficiency upgrades to the least efficient homes in Ireland and for people on lower incomes.

One of the requirements for this scheme is that for a property to qualify it must have a preexisting BER of C, D, E, F or G. After the home upgrades are completed, a fresh assessment will be carried out.

The National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, also called the One Stop Shop scheme, aims to carry out all-in-one home upgrades which must be able to bring a property up to a BER of B2 or better once they have been completed.

The cost of getting a BER Cert for a property will vary based on the assessor and the type and size of the home in question.

Typically an apartment will cost in the region of €150 for a BER Assessment. Other properties such as a house, duplex, or penthouse will cost approximately €200 – €300 to get a BER.

Before getting an assessor in, it’s probably worthwhile to check if a property already has a BER Certificate. The SEAI operates a National BER Register which can be easily searched online.

To look up a BER Certificate and the Advisory Report accompanying it one of two things will be required.

If the BER was published before July 6, 2021, then the MPRN will be required to access the Advisory Report.

There are multiple ways to improve the fabric of a building which can significantly improve its BER.