Re: Is the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme doomed to fail ?

"As it currently stands only houses for sale (new and second hand) and rental properties need a BER cert." - Incorrect
What are the BER Implementation Dates in Ireland?

The requirement to provide a BER is being introduced on a phased basis as follows:

New dwellings: The regulations apply to new dwellings for which planning permission was applied for on or after 1st January 2007. All new homes (even when not for sale) must have a BER certificate before they are occupied as detailed under S.I. 666 under www.environ.ie/en/Legislation/DevelopmentandHousing/BuildingStandards/

BER assessments performed on new dwellings will also help determine compliance to Part L of the Building Regulations.

New Non-Domestic Buildings: The regulations apply to new non-domestic buildings for which planning permission was applied for on or after 1st July 2008. Transitional BER exemptions will apply to new non-domestic buildings for which planning permission is applied on or before 30th June 2008 provided the new non-domestic buildings involved are substantially completed by 30th June 2010.

Existing Buildings: (dwellings and other buildings) when offered for sale or letting on or after 1st January 2009.

Large Public Service Buildings: A public body shall, in relation to a large building occupied by it on or after 1 January 2009, secure and display a BER certificate in a prominent place clearly visible to the public.

Re: Is the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme doomed to fail ?

The gut feeling that I have from the BER scheme is that this will be used to levy a new carbon tax on homes based on the rating you have received.

There will be a compulsion to get a BER rating otherwise your home will default as an F or equivalent for you period of build. You will be taxes accordingly on this value.

There are merits for the regular householder to obtain a cert, as it helps focus the attention to the actual costs and wastages in your domestic fuel bills. It is an exercise well worth following as even modest improvements to low energy lighting, increasing insulation, updating your boiler, insulating pipework can have a reasonable effect.

Waiting for the SEI grant to insulate your attic is nonsense as you can DIY for €200 or less and make a vast inprovement.

As a scheme it is doomed and the value of a good assessor is being belittled by the cowboy Cert-in-an-hour services. It is a valuable legal document that should be equated to the importance of your solicitor's conveyancing.

Re: Is the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme doomed to fail ?

Thanks for a great post and great replies. The original certainly shows up some of the holes that exist - you are the only one to have the balls to put it all in writing. Something certainly needs to be done on the BER certs, I recently got asked to complete an assesment of 15 apartments for €600 plus SEI fees by a builder. "Sure you only need to measure up on of them, they're all the same" I was told. I was then told that they were all well built and the cert should reflect that. I read between the lines and left, not interested in cheapening my service in this way, but I have no doubt he got someone else to do it on his terms.

The SEI should reposnd to this post, it's too important to ignore.

Thanks again to all.

Re: Is the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme doomed to fail ?

I agree in large parts with previous posts. I believe that the policing of the BER Scheme is a bit of a non issue in the current climate. It would be far better if the scheme was marketed in such a way that the consumer would realise that for a small investment in having your property assessed and certified, the most cost efficent methods of running cost reduction would be made clear to the consumer and would therefore result in beneficial savings over a prolonged period. In marketing the scheme thus it would in some respects become self policing and the consumer would realise at the outset the kind of savings that it would generate over a period of time. This would be better than "beating the public with a stick" into legally abiding to a scheme that at present is not policed. The pricing of BER's should also be regulated to help cut out the "cheap cowboys" . Assessors should be rated by their clients based on efficiency, attention to detail, advice given etc. and this could be made available on the SEI website as a means to identifying a quality Assessor as opposed to just a cheap service with unknown BER history. In regulating the price of BER's , the criteria for choosing an Assessor would be quality of service not price.