Building Energy Certificates. (BER Certs)

These are required for the first turnaround of tenants from 1st January 2009.  They are a lable outlining the energy efficiency of the property.  They will be valid for a period of 10 years.    Contractors need to be registered with SEAI in order to issue the Certification.  It should be available for tenants looking at the property. 

Protected structure or proposed protected structure within the meaning of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2006 are exempt from the requirement.  These properties do not require a BER Certificate when letting.

Traditional bedsit accommodation where tenants share bathroom facilites do not require a BER Certificate when a bedsit within the house is being let.  They will require one if the whole house becomes vacant and is then being let, but will not require one for each individual bedsit.  It will be treated as a single house for the purpose of  obtaining a BER Cert.

There is a list of Assessors under IPOA Contractors on our Website.

 

 Energy Testing of Property:BER Certificates 

From January 2009, all residential property sold and rented in Ireland will be tested and given an energy rating based on newly introduced compulsory EU regulations.

 

Europe introduced the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) (Statutory Instrument S.I.666 of 2006) as a major part of the building sector's fight-back against climate change. The regulations, which are already in force for new builds, allow a delay for planning applications in train and will apply to existing properties' sales and lettings from January 2009.

 

Fundamental to the EPBD is that a Building Energy Rating (BER) must be supplied to prospective buyers or tenants before a sale or letting, otherwise there may be grounds to sue or have the contract declared void. As fuel prices rise and supplies tighten, the value of energy efficiency is enhanced significantly and the BER is intended to put a market premium on the capital value and rentability of energy-efficient properties.  

 

BERs will use a 'flagging system' similar to the highly successful one adopted by European white goods manufacturers, most of whose equipment is now in the higher energy (A or B) performance bands.

 

In an effort to inform residential property owners, especially those in the rental sector, the Irish Property Owners Association today launches an information drive IPOA/Energy, which, working with a team of industry experts, comprises of an information guide and a series of national and regional advisory sessions.

 

The information guide was  distributed with the October 5^th  edition of the Irish Independent in association with on-line property portal, Propertynews.com. The information sessions will take place around the country over the next number of months. The guide has been compiled by an expert committee which includes Patrick Duffy, National Irish Centre for Energy Rating, Noel O’Reilly, IAVI, Kevin O’Rourke, Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland, Kevin Daly, Engineer and Property Investor, Prof. Ken Beattie, Dublin Institute of Technology, Stephen Faughnan, Chairman, IPOA and Des Foley, Propertynews.com.

 

In 2006, the IPOA ran The Green House Sessions, a one day conference on energy efficiency and residential investment property. Following on from the issues raised and the interest in the content of the event, the IPOA/Energy initiative was developed to be relevant to both property investors and tenants.

 

For further information, email info@ipoa.ie

  

Energy Information on Residential Property Investment

A Guide for Landlords and Tenants (pdf)

Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland  www.seai.ie

European Perspective on Energy www.uipi.ie

Nicer  www.nicer.ie 

EPBD http://ec.europa.eu/energy/

Dublin Institute of Technology www.dit.ie

Dept. of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources www.dcmnr.gov.ie

 Statutory Instrument 666 Energy Performance in Buildings