Energy assessors ‘will be in place’ for BER

There will be enough energy assessors in place by the time energy ratings are required for sales or lets of existing buildings, according to Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI).


Starting on January 1, selling or letting a property will require the owner to show a building energy rating (BER) certificate.

However, according to the Sunday Business Post, there is concern in the housing industry, including from architects, that there will not be enough trained assessors by the time the certificate is required.

SEI has 800 registered assessors, though they are only trained to carry out assessments on new houses from building plans.

It is set to release methods for calculating energy standards later this week.

A spokesman for the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) told the newspaper: “We hope there will be a big uptake of training when these become available, because these assessors are very much needed.”

The BER certificate will show a homes energy in terms of kilowatt hours per square metre per year, with most efficient buildings receiving an A1 rating, and the least efficient getting a G.

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