Building energy rating takes effect
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Wednesday March 10 2010
IT might have been late in arriving but The Building Energy Rating (BER) for both domestic and commercial premises is finally beginning to take effect and more and more people are becoming aware of its significance.
Figures released from Sustainable Energy Ireland reveal that over 100,000 Irish homes have had Building Energy Ratings completed to date, the majority of which were completed since January 2009, the first year of the full implementation of the BER scheme.
Introduced in 2007 as part of a European Directive to improve the energy performance of homes, the rate of BER publications has steadily increased in 2009, averaging 300 per day, and indicating an increasing awareness of, and compliance with, the legislation.
Initially the scheme only applied to new homes but, since January 1, 2009, all homes being sold or rented are also required to have a BER certificate that shows prospective buyers or tenants the energy performance of the home.
Research shows that landlords are the group most aware of the need for a BER certificate, with awareness now at 76%. While awareness is improving in most quarters, tenants looking to rent are the least aware of their entitlement to get a BER cert with awareness only at 38%.
Professor Owen Lewis, Chief Executive SEI, said that, while the first year of full operation of the BER scheme has been successful there are many homes for sale or rent that have not yet been assessed and need to be if they are not to fall foul of the regulations.
"SEI is calling on people who are looking to buy or rent homes to insist upon receiving a BER certificate as their right, so they are fully informed of the energy performance before finalising any property transactions," he said.
