As of 1st January 2009 any residential property be it a house, an apartment, a bungalow or even a holiday home offered for sale or to let needs a BER Certificate from the moment it is placed on the market.

Houses that score higher on the energy performance scale are more attractive for a potential purchaser as they are cheaper to run and can help you sell quickly and for a higher profit.

A BER Certificate is calculated on the basis of the following parameters:
Building dimensions
Materials used for construction of the dwelling
Thermal insulation of the building fabric
Ventilation characteristics of the dwelling and ventilation equipment
Efficiency and control of the heating system(s)
Solar gains through openings of the dwelling the fuel used to provide space and water heating
Ventilation and lighting
Renewable energy technologies.

Although the certificate itself will just show you the primary energy use per unit floor area per year (kWh/m/y represented on an A to G scale (see BER certificate); and associated Carbon Dioxide (CO ) emissions in kgCO /m /yr the report which accompanies the Cert will contain information which will enable you to cut your costs, save yourself money on bills and help to save the planet for the next generations.

The homeowner is under no obligation to follow the Advisory Report but it gives you an idea of what areas of the property are affecting the energy rating. The table below will give you an idea of what it costs to run a property with an A-G rating.

 

 

 

Energy Audits

We offer a further service for those who do not need a BER Certificate but wish to improve the energy efficiency of their home or those who are unhappy with the current rating. An Energy Audit will involve in-depth investigation of all elements of the dwelling, which affect the energy performance of the building, e.g. windows and doors, wall and roof insulation, water and space heating system(s), ventilation and lighting.

We will provide extensive recomendations on improving on the current and achieving the target rating taking into consideration the budget and all the circumstances.

As part of our energy audit service we can carry out Air Pressure Tests and Thermal Imaging which will show the areas of the building where the heat escapes. Having studied the building in detail, a schedule of potential energy saving solutions is compiled. Each solution is then analysed in detail to determine it's suitability for the particular application.

Finally a report is compiled for our client, outlining the energy saving solutions most suited. With each solution we provide an initial investment cost for the supply and installation of the system, an estimated annually running cost, an estimated payback period when compared with a conventional system and an estimated annual maintenance and servicing cost. Please contact us to find out more about improving the energy rating of your property and see how much you can save!

Assessment procedure