What is a BER and when do you need one?

What is BER and when do you need one? A BER, or Building Energy Rating, is a certificate that indicates the energy performance of a building in Ireland. It rates the building on a scale from A to G, with A-rated homes being the most energy-efficient and G-rated the least.

What does a BER include?

• An energy efficiency rating (A-G)

• An advisory report with recommendations on how to improve energy performance

• Details such as energy use for heating, ventilation, lighting, and hot water.

  
  

View a sample BER Certificate

Sample-BER-Cert.pdf

Download PDF • 1.17MB

When do you need a BER?

A valid BER is legally required in Ireland if:

●     You are selling or renting a property

●     You are building a new home

●     You are applying for SEAI home energy grants

●     You want to assess how energy-efficient your home is

BERs are generated by SEAI-registered assessors using the official DEAP software (Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure). 

BER and SEAI Grants with Premier Solutions

·        If you are re-building your Mica/DCB home and applying for the SEAI Home Energy Upgrade grants, you will need a Pre-Works BER as well as a Post-Works BER. The Pre-Works BER must having a rating of B3 or worse and the Post Works BER must have a rating of B2 or better. There must also be a 100kw uplift in the energy efficiency of your house. It is your responsibility to ensure a Pre-Works BER is carried out before works commence.

·        When planning a home energy upgrade or retrofit through our BEC scheme, your BER together with a technical assessment is a starting point and one of the first documents you will need. It outlines the work that must be done in order to make your home heat pump-ready.

·        For individual grants for Attic and (or) Cavity Wall Insulation that are carried out through the Better Energy Homes scheme (BEH), you will only need a Post Works BER and we will arrange that for you.

Who carries out your BER Assessment?

A qualified BER assessor registered with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) must carry out the assessment. There are a number of registered BER assessors in Donegal that we work closely with and who we are happy to recommend. A directory of BER assessors can also be found on the SEAI website You can also find your local assessor on the BER Assessors Association of Ireland website

For more information or to arrange a BER for your home, contact us through the form below.