What You Need to Know About BER’s
When Do I Need A BER
Selling: If you are selling a property then you must obtain a BER Certificate. The sale of the property cannot processed with a valid BER Certificate in place. Most auctioneers and solicitors will insist on a valid BER Certificate being in place prior to the property going on the market.
SEAI Grant: Upgrade works to your property including Attic Insulation, Cavity Wall Bead Insulation, External Insulation, and Heating Controls are all eligible for SEAI Grants. Part of the grant process is that a BER is carried out on the property once the works are completed.
Provisional BER: Before starting works on the construction of a house a Provisional BER Cert will be required to be submitted to building control in your local authority. This Provisional BER Cert outlines the minimum required standards that the house will need to be built to in order to comply with the building regulations. Part of this process will be the creation of specification for the house and engagement with the architect and builder in order to meet the requirements of the BER.
How is a BER Calculated
Your BER is calculated based on the amount of energy your home requires for space heating, hot water heating, ventilation, the building fabric and lighting. In order to complete this calculation, your BER Assessor will need to collect information on various aspects of your home.
To collect this information, your BER Assessor will need access to all areas of your home including the attic, lighting systems, ventilation, meter cupboards, heating systems and controls, hot press and all doors and windows. During the BER assessment, you BER Assessor will collect information which will include a number of calculations, measurements and photographic evidence of each of these aspects of your home.
BER Advisory Report
The BER Advisory Report will accompany the BER Cert for the property and will include recommended upgrades to the dwelling with cost guidelines for each upgrade and if the upgrades are eligible for SEAI Grants. This BER Advisory Report is created with the SEAI DEAP software and will outline general upgrades to your property. If you require a detailed report outline how to achieve a certain rating Shane can assist you with this and detail the exact measures need to achieve a certain rating including specification and materials to be used.
SEAI One Stop Shop
The One Stop Shop is a complete home energy upgrade solution for homeowners managed by the SEAI.
Why use a One Stop Shop
One Stop Shops offer homeowners all the services required for a complete home energy upgrade. These registered private operators will manage the entire process for you, from the initial assessment of your home, through to the final BER.
Complete Range of Services
– Home Energy Assessment
– Grant Application
– Project Management
-Contractor Works
-Follow up BER
-Finance Options
Grant Amounts can be found on the SEAI One Stop Shop website
