What is a BER?

When you are selling a property in Ireland, it’s your responsibility as the current home owner to provide a BER certificate.

This cert will show the BER of the property or “Building Energy Rating” from A-G. This score indicates how energy efficient the property is, with A ratings being the most efficient and G the least efficient.

A low efficiency home can be costly to heat and have negative health consequences.

Most new builds today are A ratings, like A1, A2 or A3. This shows they have been built to a standard which is very energy efficient with high efficiency materials, insulation, doors, windows and heating systems.

As a result, the property will lose less heat through the walls and ceilings in the winter and so you need less energy to heat it and keep warm!

There are some properties which are exempt from having a BER cert, most commonly, these include older listed properties but there are a few other categories of exempt properties.

Remember, every property is different and 2 properties with the same BER may perform differently in winter… For example based on how exposed they are to driving winds.

So the BER is not a perfect system, but it is a great guide - and the best we currently have!

SEAI Sample BER Certificate showing a C2 rating.

Who oversees the BER system?

The SEAI oversees the BER system in Ireland.

They have lots of information available including a table of estimated energy costs based on the size of the property and the BER. This is a good way to estimated your bills if you were to buy the property. But add a 10-20% buffer on top of your energy budget just incase!

They also provide dozens of various grants for improving the BER of your property. They have a list of one stop shops who are contractors who can claim the grants at source, so you'll only need to pay the

Will the Surveyor produce a BER and BER Cert during their survey?

No. When you are buying a property and hire a surveyor, the surveyor will comment on the likely energy efficiency of the property including walls, attic insulation, doors and windows, but they do not produce a BER or a BER Cert.

This should be provided by the vendor BEFORE the property is listed for sale and you can request this through the estate agent. The full BER certificate will also give advice on possible ratings through upgrades, so it is worthwhile making sure you request the full BER cert, not just the rating!

Top Tip

Our sister company, HomeHunterReport.ie, include BER information as part of every report. Including the latest energy costs estimates from SEAI.

Just go to HomeHunterReport.ie and enter the address to get started!