A Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate indicates your home’s energy performance on a grading scale, similar to the energy label for household appliances that indicates the level of energy consumption by an appliance.

The cert generally rates the energy performance of your home on a scale of A-G.

A-rated homes are regarded as the most energy-efficient ones, and they also benefit from the lowest energy bills. At the opposite end of the scale, G-rated homes are the least energy-efficient with very high energy bills.

Since 2007, a BER certificate is mandatory for all the buildings being constructed, offered for rent or sale in Ireland. In conjunction with Building Regulations for new homes and homes where significant upgrades are planned, This ensures that all new dwellings are being developed and built in a way that incorporates energy-efficient designs, materials, and appliances in line with the Programme for Government's sustainability objectives.

When someone rents a specific home, they’re in a position to estimate their energy bills based on the home’s BER rating. When in the market for buying a house, potential buyers can also project energy bills based on the home’s BER rating. This essentially means that having a high BER rating greatly improves the value of your home.

A BER certificate is usually valid for up to 10 years, given that there are no material changes to a home that could lead to significant changes in energy performance. A provisional BER cert, which is usually derived from a plan of the unbuilt home, has a maximum validity of 2 years.

This guide will help you better understand the concept of BER certificates in detail, outlining the reasons why you might aspire to having a better BER rating for your home and explaining some common ways of improving your BER to ultimately save you money, reduce your home's carbon emissions, making it more comfortable and boosting its value.

A home’s BER is calculated using bespoke software called DEAP (Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure). The software automatically calculates the energy losses for the dwelling which is delivered as a BER Energy rating.

The inspection takes into account different aspects of your home such as; type of heating systems, whether your home is properly insulated or not, the quality of your windows, your home’s space and volume, the radiators, and other energy-saving measures.

The calculation process also considers the number of people who are likely going to occupy a building, with the score is based on the average number of occupants in buildings of a similar capacity and size.

The energy performance of a home is usually expressed as follows;

1. The primary energy use per unit floor area per year (kWh/m2/yr) represented on an A to G scale.

2. The associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in kgCO2/m2/yr.

It should also be noted that a BER does not cover electricity used for other purposes other than heating, pumps, fans, and lighting. This means that a BER does not consider energy consumed through domestic activity such as cooking, refrigeration, laundry and entertainment.

Firstly, it is a legal requirement that all the buildings constructed since January 2007 have a valid BER certificate indicating their energy performance, so having a BER helps you comply with Ireland's legislation regulating energy use.

Secondly, having a BER certificate helps you to better understand the energy efficiency of your home, with important implications for everyday Irish homeowners.

A BER helps you to save money as you adopt energy-efficient properties. A higher BER requires that your home is well insulated, ventilated, uses renewable energy sources, and uses appliances that save energy. Hence, having a high rating will save you money because energy bills are reduced significantly.

A high BER rating will make your home more comfortable. The use of smart home technology such as programmable thermostats, weather sensors and energy-saving light bulbs makes your home more comfortable. The use of heat pumps in conjunction with heat recovery systems regulates your home’s humidity properly to make sure that the home is comfortable and efficient.

A high BER rating increases the overall value of your home. In case you want to rent or sell your home, potential buyers will consider its BER rating as part of the negotiations.

If the BER rating is poor, a buyer might decline to rent or buy it or offer a lower price due to the levels of upgrade work required. When the rating is high, your home's value improves, and you can more easily rent or sell it.