BER

What is a BER ‘A’ rated home?

An ‘A’ rated home is based on the Building Energy Rating (BER), which is a rating of a building based on the energy efficiency of the home. ‘A’ rated homes are the most energy efficient and as a result, tend to have the lowest energy bills.

The BER rating is calculated based on the energy performance and the carbon dioxide emissions from a home for the provision of space heating, ventilation, water heating and lighting. The BER rating also takes into account the house characteristics including dimensions, orientations, insulation and space and water system efficiencies.

The energy performance is expressed as:

(a) Primary energy use per unit floor area per year (kWh/m2/yr) represented on an A to G scale; and

(b) Associated Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions in kg CO2/m2/yr.

A BER assessment does not include electricity used for purposes other than heating, lighting, pumps and fans. Therefore the energy used for electrical appliances such as cookers, fridges, washing machines and TVs is excluded.

S.I. No. 243 of 2012, European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2012 – Schedule 3, available at: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2012/si/243/made/en/print