A Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate indicates the energy performance of the property. It is like the energy label for household appliances. The certificate rates the energy performance of your building on a scale of A-G. A-rated being the most energy efficient and will tend to have the lowest energy bills. G-rated are the least energy efficient.
All properties being offered for Sale or for Rent must display a valid BER Certificate Number as part of its advertisement,
The BER advertising requirements are set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations found in the Irish Statute Book (S.I. 243 of 2012).
This certificate is valid for 10 years provided that no substantive work is carried out on the property in the meantime in which case a new cert should be issued
Homeowners applying for any of the Seai better energy homes Grant must have a post works BER carried out in order to claim the Grant Funding. Your BER Assessor can also assist you with selecting the best Retro Fit measures in order to maximise the return of your investment through Energy Savings.
We also carry out home energy audits to inspect potential upgrades to improve energy efficiency, we use thermal imaging camera to detect insufficient insulation and heat loss locations.
The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Recast 2010 (EPBD) requires all new buildings to be nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) by 31st December 2020 and all buildings acquired by public bodies by 31st December 2018.
This means that any buildings completed after these dates should achieve the standard irrespective of when they were started. This is quite different to the transitional arrangements for previous building regulations revisions.
‘Nearly Zero – Energy Buildings’ means a building that has a very high energy performance, Annex 1 of the Directive and in which “the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby“.
This standard is implemented in Ireland through the Part L of the building regulations.
Part L 2017 for Buildings other than dwellings
Part L 2019 for Dwellings
Part L major renovation
For existing buildings, major renovation is typically activated under the following circumstances, where the work affects greater than 25% surface area of the existing dwelling:
Please contact BEP consulting to assist in providing Part L compliance reports for Domestic and Non-Domestic Buildings.
BEP Consulting are registered as independent SEAI Technical advisors for Heat Pump Systems that are grant-aided by SEAI under the Better Energy Homes and Communities programmes.
The Technical Advisor guides the homeowner on the energy performance of the dwelling, particularly on the suitability of the dwelling for a heat pump system based on the dwelling’s heat loss. They also provide the homeowner with independent guidance on measures necessary to ensure that the dwelling fabric heat loss is lowered to an acceptable level for a heat pump system to perform effectively and efficiently
As outlined in clause 1.3.3.1 of Technical Guidance Document (TGD) Part L
To avoid excessive heat losses and local condensation problems, reasonable care should be taken to ensure continuity of insulation and to limit local thermal bridging, e.g. around windows, doors and other wall openings, at junctions between elements and other locations. Any thermal bridge should not pose a risk of surface or interstitial condensation. Heat loss associated with thermal bridges is considered in calculating energy use and CO2 emissions using the DEAP methodology.
There are a number of approaches to make reasonable provision with regard to limitation of thermal bridging, this scheme address item (iii) of clause 1.3.3.2 of TGD Part L namely 1.3.3.2 (iii) use certified details which have been assessed in accordance, and comply, with Appendix D, e.g. certified by a third party certification body such as NSAI Agrément or equivalent or certified by a member of an approved thermal modellers scheme or equivalent for all key junctions.
BEP consulting are registered on the NSAI Approved Thermal Modellers Scheme competent to thermally model junction details and calculate their linear thermal.
The Part L of the building regulations state the following.
Par 1.3.5.3 Overheating-Limiting Solar Gain (a) For every space that is defined in NEAP database as being side lit, the reference case is an east-facing façade with full width glazing to a height of 1.0m. having a framing factor of 10 per cent and a normal solar energy transmittance (g-value) of 0.68. • Par 1.3.6-overheating assessment the designer should specify what the indoor comfort specification and perform an overheating assessment in accordance with CIBSE Guide A Chapter 5 and CIBSE TM 52 to ensure overheating is avoided
BEP Consulting carry out TM52 and TM59 assessments to predict overheating risk for commercial and residential building designs (new-build or major refurbishment) using dynamic thermal analysis software.
Hygrothermal assessment is based upon the analysis of heat, vapour and moisture transfer through the elements of a building. The data provided by this method of assessment provides an accurate measure to the temperature, relative humidity and water content within the elements of a building measured over a specified time period.
We received training from TU Dublin in the use of Wufi software tools developed by German scientists in the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) since the mid-90s. This allows assessment of the hygrothermal (i.e. heat and moisture) performance of building components exposed to realistic conditions. Therefore, we can model external and internal climate, construction moisture, driving rain, leaks, airtightness of the structure.
We are a Certified European Passive House Designer that can use the Passive House Planning Passive (PHPP) as a design tool that ensures a scientifically accurate prediction of energy consumption, comfort and high indoor air quality for both new build and the Passive house retrofit standard Enerphit.
We offer a range of Architectural services.
Planning Applications
Extensions and Renovations
Passive house and Low Carbon Designs
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