ENERGY SAVING BLOG

 
Experts are giving widely varying reports to owners trying to sell

A SUNDAY TIMES investigation has found inconsistencies in the system of awarding Building Energy Ratings, now required for every Irish home before it is sold or rented out.
Three assessments of the same suburban house, last month, yielded different provisional results, raising questions about the scientific accuracy of the new system, which rates houses on a scale from A to G.
The scheme is designed to give prospective purchasers and tenants an informed view of a house’s energy performance — how much it costs to light and heat — to help them decide whether to buy or rent.
A terraced house on Dublin’s Northside was provisionally given D2, E1 and E2 ratings, after assessments by three evaluators, all of them accredited by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), which oversees the scheme.
The final step of the process, in which SEI validates the ratings, using a computer programme called the National Administration System (NAS), wasn’t completed for the purposes of investigation, as SEI will allow each house to have only one official rating.
There was also a difference in the charges and methodologies of the three assessors, with the amount of time spent on site and the number of visits varying. EasyBERcerts, in Castleknock, charged €275 and took two hours to examine the property; BSCS, in Phibsboro, charged €350 and spent three hours; and Energy Ratings To Go, in Broadstone, charged €358 and spent one hour.
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael’s housing spokesman, said that the outcome raised serious concerns about the value of the system. “It’s very worrying. The house should have been given the same rating on all three occasions,” he said. “I would urge the minister to take a fresh look at .”
He believed a standard price should have been introduced for assessments and that there was “scope for overcharging”. The TD also questioned whether local authorities would be given funding to police the system. “Councils are supposed to ensure compliance, but they are already underfunded, so can we really expect them to monitor every rental property?”
Adam Clarke, manager of estate agent Savills’ Clontarf branch, said that even a small difference in a house’s rating could affect its saleability. “It’s difficult to quantify how much an energy rating will affect a house’s value, but if, for instance, one on the same road has a better rating than another, it’s obvious which will sell faster,” he said.
An SEI spokesman said that the ratings obtained were derived from an incomplete process because they had not not been submitted to the NAS and therefore had not been subject to validation checks.
“BERs can only be published once they have completed these checks,” said the spokesman. “To attempt any cross-comparison without completing these checks is flawed. It is not possible for SEI to comment on whether discrepancies exist, or how any such discrepancies might have arisen.”
The opinions of assessors might vary, but were unlikely to result in significant rating differences, the spokesman said.
All three assessors used were found on SEI’s website and not told that they were taking part in an experiment. In order to be listed on the SEI’s website, assessors must have a Level 6 qualification in a construction-related discipline or equivalent practical experience.
They need to attend one of 21 courses around the country, which typically cost about €2,000 and require 200 hours of tuition and course work. Assessors need to gain a score of 70% to pass.
Prospective BER assessors then have to pay SEI between €500 and €1,000 to register. There is no standard national examination, but one will be introduced in October.
Almost 1,000 assessors have been registered, and about 600 are eligible to assess both new and second-hand dwellings. They visit houses, measure them and investigate their energy efficiency by looking at orientation, dimensions of windows and doors, building materials, lighting, space and water heating, airtightness, ventilation and insulation.
A building’s energy use is calculated on the basis of how much would be expended by a “notional standard family with a standard pattern of occupancy”. Information is fed into a computer programme, the Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedures (DEAP). The results are submitted to SEI, which runs a series of checks using NAS.
SEI can flag any unusual or inconsistent values before signing off on a rating. Once an assessor’s rating has been accepted, it is sent to the householder with an advisory report offering tips on how to improve a property’s energy efficiency.
The Law Society has told solicitors that a house sale cannot be completed before a BER assessment has been issued. Failure to comply can result in a fine of up to €5,000 and/or three months’ imprisonment.
New homes have been rated since the start of 2007, with 82% achieving a B-rating. SEI has published indicative ratings for typical homes, showing that those built before the 1980s should achieve a low D or E; those built in the 1980s should get a high D; those in the 1990s should get a C2; and properties built in this decade typically achieve a C1.