BER stands for Building Energy Rating which simply means it can indicate your building energy performance. Your BER is calculated through your energy use for hot water, heating, ventilation, lighting, and space. The number of people present in the house is also taken into consideration. Your building is rated through a simple A-G. A rated means they are the most energy efficient and will have the lowest energy bills. G rated tend to be the least energy efficient. If you are planning on selling or renting your property, you must have a BER Certificate. Assessments can be carried out by qualified and registered BER assessors. So, let’s look at the importance of BER Certificates in more detail:
It can increase the value of your property
Energy ratings can have a huge impact on the value of your property. Energy efficiency has become an additional factor in determining the value of your house in Ireland. A house with a good efficiency rating can increase your home value by 10% compared to a lower BER rating. For your home to have a higher BER rating, it will have a reduction in your energy costs and put your home in higher value if you were to sell. It has shown by results that it really can have a positive effect on the sale of your property.
It makes your home easier to sell
A better BER rating will make it more comfortable and easier to sell your home. Selling a home is never the easiest thing to do and it takes a lot of time and patience. Any home marked for sale must have a BER Cert. If you have any chance of selling your home, BER assessors must assess your home for any issues regarding heating, ventilation, water, etc. You can improve these issues that may occur and make your home more energy efficient, thus, making it more appealing to sell to a buyer.
It will help you to improve your Energy Efficiency
Anyone who wants to improve the energy efficiency and performance of their home and find the best and cost-effective ways to improve their home, a BER Certificate will be very beneficial to you. By improving the rating of your property by BER Certificate, this will help to improve your home’s performance. An assessment report will help and offer advice on how to improve your home and it’s energy levels. There are many methods to improve your home’s BER rating, here are some details:
- Energy efficient light bulbs
- Replace old windows and doors and well-sealed units
- Roof and wall insulation
- Replace old gas or oil boilers
- Install solar water heating
- Do checks on your ventilation systems to help reduce draughts. Unwanted draughts will draw a lot of heat energy out of the home
- Connect in your fireplace a chimney balloon. When it is not in use this will help keep the heat in
- To encourage better airflow fit new vents
- Install a water cylinder lagging jacket. This will help the water to stay warmer for longer