Minister of State Tony Killeen T.D. has reminded landlords and homeowners across County Clare that they must obtain a Building Energy Rating or BER before placing their homes on the market for sale or rent.The local T.D. said the recent extension of the national energy rating system, which advises on the energy efficiency of buildings, is a welcome development as it will provide clear information to consumers thinking of buying or renting a home. In Ireland, a BER certificate is issued by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) following an assessment by a qualified BER assessor, who must be registered with SEI.
“The EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requires all Member States to put a BER certification system in place on a phased basis. For Ireland the system came into effect for new houses in 2007 and this phasing concluded on 1 January 2009 with second hand homes,” commented Minister Killeen. Minister Killeen described the final phase of BER implementation as a very positive step forward. He continued, “A BER is obtained by the landlord or seller and is valid for ten years. BER Certificates help consumers who are buying or renting a property to make an informed choice between available properties, having regard to a comparison of their energy rating.”
“In addition an Advisory Report, which must accompany each BER Certificate, offers guidance on steps that can be taken to improve the energy efficiency of the house or building. Influencing the personal choices and behaviours of individual consumers in this way is crucial to Ireland’s success in reducing energy usage and CO2 emissions and to meeting our wider Climate Change obligations,” added Minister Killeen.
Minister Killeen added, “I expect that the information people get from the BER process will make them think about how much money they are losing through poor insulation and will lead to much interest in retrofitting insulation and other energy efficiency measures in their homes, providing a useful boost to the construction sector. I have made available EUR25 million for 2008/09 to assist people with these upgrade works through the Home Energy Saving Scheme.”
Addressing some recent commentators who described the initiative as an unnecessary burden on property owners at a time of market uncertainty, Minister Killeen stated, “Nothing could be further from the truth. The cost of a BER assessment is modest compared to the value of the asset and, since it represents a commercial fee for services rendered, it is no different from other service fees. Some 1,030 persons are already registered with SEI as BER Assessors for new homes, and over 660 for existing homes. A further 2,800 persons have also undergone the requisite training to date and we can expect a proportion of these to be motivated to also register with SEI as demand for BER assessments increases.”
