BUILDING ENERGY RATING (BER)

By now everyone should be familiar with the energy ratings that we have on household appliances and now a similar kind of system is being brought in for the energy performance of houses. This is done to allow prospective buyers or tenants to factor energy performance and costs into their comparison of different properties and into their ultimate decision. It would give the buyers and tenants the option to view how good the property is insulated and how energy efficient it is before buying or renting.

Is there a legal obligation on property owners to have a BER carried out ?

Almost all buildings that are either newly constructed or otherwise placed on the market for sale or rental will have to have the certificate. The main exemption applies to listed buildings of outstanding architectural or historical importance. The certificate will most likely be similar to the energy label for domestic electrical appliances, which rates the energy performance of the appliance from A to G, and which expresses energy consumption (in kWh) under standard conditions of use .

How will energy rating of NEW HOMES be carried out?

New homes will most likely be rated off the plans during the design stage by a certified assessor.

How will energy rating of EXISTING HOMES be carried out?

• Homeowners who are selling or renting an existing home will be required to have a building energy rating (BER) carried out by a trained and certified assessor and must provide the BER certificate to prospective buyers/tenants. 
• The BER will be based on a survey of the house by a registered assessor. The assessor will survey the house to record, for example, the size of the house, the construction, the insulation levels, the type of windows, details of the heating and hot water systems, etc. This information will then be used to calculate the energy performance of the house and to give it an energy rating. All assessors will be required to follow a standardised procedure using an approved survey and calculation methodology to arrive at a rating. 
• Along with the BER certificate, the assessor will also provide the homeowner with an Advisory Report setting out options for improving the energy performance of the property (i.e. stating how the energy performance of the house could be improved).

Has the method for Building Energy Rating been decided?

The national methodology for energy rating of homes was published in June 2006. The method, called the Dwellings Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) is a hybrid of the draft European Standard (prEN13790) and the UK Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). The DEAP method will be used to demonstrate compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations and also to produce a Building Energy Rating (BER). The national methodology for non-residential buildings has not yet been adopted. The European Standards body (CEN) is currently developing standards for the purposes of the EPBD. Draft standards will be available between April and June 2005 after which a decision will be taken regarding specific national methodologies. 

How much will a BER cost?

• The best indication of the likely cost of such a survey is to look to other European Countries where energy rating of homes has been introduced, for example Denmark and the Netherlands. The costs are generally in the range of €200 to €500 depending on the size, age, etc. of the house. 
• Early indications are that the cost in Ireland will be approx. €300 for an existing home and less than this for a new home.
• For non-residential buildings, costs will vary according to whether new or existing, and according to building size and complexity, and so will be expected to range widely.
• What happens if you get a poor rating?
• There is no legal penalty for getting a bad label for an existing house. From the perspective of a seller or landlord, the effect of such a label can be expected to be a degree of market disadvantage in a competitive property market. From the perspective of a householder, it creates an awareness of the ongoing running costs, comfort level and environmental impact associated with energy use in the property. 
• Is there any advice provided by the assessor?
• The energy certificate comes with an advisory report, which will inform homeowners of the steps they can take to improve the energy performance of their house. Such steps might include simple measures such as insulating the hot water tank, increasing the insulation in the walls/attic/floor, replacing an old or inefficient boiler with a more efficient boiler, heating controls, etc. The report is likely to include an indication of installation costs, associated savings on your annual energy bills, return on investment, and the revised energy rating that would arise if such measures were implemented
• For this reason, the advisory report is a key document. It will be expected to provide the householder with a clear assessment of the various options for improving the efficiency of their home – in respect of the building fabric, ventilation control, boiler, heating and hot water system efficiency. It may be particularly useful to those who have just purchased an existing home which they plan to improve or remodel in their early stages of occupation.

Who will carry out the Building Energy Ratings?

Building Energy Rating will be carried out by registered assessors whose details have been accepted on to the national EPBD administration database. Registered assessors will have successfully completed a training programme that can demonstrate that they have achieved certain learning outcomes. They will also have met all other requirements set for entry onto the database; these are expected to include demonstration that they have adequate indemnity insurance and signing of a code of conduct.
 

What impact does SEI think that this Directive will have on Irish householders?

• The Directive will impact on an estimated 170,000 sale or rental transactions per year.
• It will mean that anyone buying a house will be able to check the energy performance of the house and get an indication of the annual running costs. Therefore it will allow people to take energy costs into consideration in their purchasing decisions. This is becoming more and more important as energy costs are increasing all the time.
• It will allow house hunters to compare the energy performance of two different houses on an equal scale. It will allow you to compare two house that on the surface appear very similar such as two 3 bed semi’s or equally two very different houses, such as a 2 bed apartment and a 5 bed house.
• It will improve energy awareness in the property market both for home buyers and developers
• The advisory report will provide information to homeowners on how to improve the energy performance of their property and thereby its comfort and affordability, and enhancing its value and sustainability.
• The awareness created by the energy rating certificate/ label can be expected over time to place a somewhat higher value on more energy efficient properties, and by implication to encourage/ provoke owners of less energy efficient properties to take steps to upgrade them.

What will happen if you fail to have your house energy rated?

You are only required to have an energy rating carried out if you are selling or renting your house. Otherwise there is no requirement to have an energy rating carried out. (The exact requirements and penalties will be set out in the legislative provisions). However, it may be of benefit for those in older homes to have an energy rating carried out in order to identify how they could improve the energy performance of the house and thereby reduce their annual energy bills. 

What kind of impact will this Directive have on those trying to sell or rent out their houses?

• A person wishing to sell or rent a house will be required to get an energy rating carried out and to provide prospective buyers or tenants with this information.
• It will increase awareness of energy performance as a factor in the property market
• Those with better rated homes i.e. more energy efficient homes will be motivated to highlight this as a positive selling point
• Those with poorer rated homes may be motivated to upgrade their homes as set out in the advisory report.
• Over time it can be expected to contribute to a change in market behaviour, which will ultimately improve the energy efficiency of the national housing stock.
• Investments in the energy performance of homes will benefit building owners and users in terms of improved comfort, lower energy running costs and possibly higher property values.
• Collectively, over time, these market activities could result in an environmental protection benefit in terms of a reduction in CO2 emissions from Ireland’s national building stock.
• Is there a danger that these new requirements will slow down property transactions?
• There will be a need to ensure rapid turnaround time on assessments, to prevent any negative impact on the propert market. The Draft Action Plan proposes a turnaround time of less than 2 weeks for production of a BER for residential buildings, from the date of first communication by the vendor, lessor, or agent. This is an important reason behind the phased inroduction of the implementation of the Directive, to ensure that there is an adequate supply of registered assessors to meet the service demand that will arise when each phase is made mandatory.

Will there be any impact for other service suppliers?

The advice provided on the scope for upgrading the property will open up business opportunities for suppliers and qualified installers of more energy efficient products (the process of providing energy rating certificates or air conditioning inspections of course provides a separate commercial benefit to the professional specialists involved).

NEW VS EXISTING BUILDINGS

New Buildings

The energy assessment of new buildings should be more straightforward as details – or at least nominal specification details – of the building are available. The same method (DEAP) will be used to demonstrate compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations, therefore, it will be an important incremental exercise for the design team to generate the building energy rating. The argument can be advanced that what transpires on site may not match what is on the drawing board, which is a matter for the developer to ensure, under possible inspection from the local authority Building Control function. The Building Regulations and the BER apply to a building as built, therefore the plans on which a BER is based reflect what is built on site.

Existing Buildings

In the case of existing buildings, data gathering is by means of an on-site survey. Much of the detailed information on the buildings may not be available and therefore default data will need to be used. It is also possible that recorded energy consumption data for an existing building representing may have a part to play in assessing the energy performance of some existing buildings.

The above information has been provided by Sustainable Energy Ireland, for further details visit www.sei.ie