Ber Assessment

HoofRocks

Hi All

We are currently in the planning stage of our bungalow and are looking into getting our submitted plans accessed for energy efficiency.

Some of the accessors have suggested that we need to get the plans accessed and then the house accessed again after it is built in order to get the certificate. Do you have to have a ber cert for a new build now or is it only if you intend to rent or sell? Neither of the later applies to us.

Our aim is to get advice on building the most energy efficient house. We don't mind if we don't have a cert.

Also, I have been quoted between €200 - €250 for the accessment. Is this the normal price?

archtech

If its your own house you are not obliged to get a provisional BER before construction however it would be advisable to have the design accessed at this stage to ensure compliance with the regs and also make any tweeks to the design at this early stage. DEAP, the software used to prepare BER's, is also used to check compliance with Part L of the building regs.

You could also look at having the proposed house assessed in PHPP, to see how it performs.

With analysis of the design at this stage you will get an idea of the spec for the house , in terms of what u-valves heating systems etc you will need to achieve compliance and it will enable you to do some research, like when visiting new houses asking how others are finding what they did or would change.

sydthebeat

+ 1 on arch tech above


Just to simplify this a bit:

Theres two different applicable laws here.

1. Building Regulations. (Irish)
Part L of the building regulations states that in order to show compliance, the dwellings particulars must be assessed using the DEAP software.

2. Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (European)
This states that any new house, or existing house sold or offered for rent, must have a BER certificate. The DEAP software is also used to assess and provide BER certificates



by the way, DEAP stands for Dwellings Energy Assessment Procedure.

sydthebeat

HoofRocks wrote: »

Also, I have been quoted between €200 - €250 for the accessment. Is this the normal price?

thats cheap

HoofRocks

Thanks for the replies folks. That was our aim to have an accessment done now so we can do it right hopefully when we start.

wirehairmax

archtech wrote: »

If its your own house you are not obliged to get a provisional BER before construction however it would be advisable to have the design accessed at this stage to ensure compliance with the regs and also make any tweeks to the design at this early stage. DEAP, the software used to prepare BER's, is also used to check compliance with Part L of the building regs.

You could also look at having the proposed house assessed in PHPP, to see how it performs.

With analysis of the design at this stage you will get an idea of the spec for the house , in terms of what u-valves heating systems etc you will need to achieve compliance and it will enable you to do some research, like when visiting new houses asking how others are finding what they did or would change.

Whats supposed to happen is your planning permission and plans are supposed to be accompanied by a provisional BER along with the printout from DEAP showing how you intend to comply with and meet Part L. Your local Building Control officer should then be able to interpret the information and make recommendations based on the proposed methods of compliance and then monitor construction to ensure compliance. A final BER certificate is then completed by your Engineer/Surveyor/Architect, based on actual construction and this forms part of the Opinion of Compliance with Planning Permission and Building Regulations.
What actually happens is that most councils havn't enforced this up to now, the average self-builder slaps on some solar panels (usually not enough) fits an oil boiler, only comes looking for a BER cert coming near the end of the build so they can make the final drawdown of the mortgage and is amazed if its pointed out to them that their house doesnt actually comply with Building regs. The amazing thing though is that the house can actually be up to possibly a B2 rating but not actually comply as the cert itself does not state this. Only the ''detailed report'' will state compliance or not and this is never asked for or produced to the banks for final drawdown. Once the colourful BER cert is attached, usually everybody is happy.
its a typical Irish solution to an Irish problem. Unless Building Control actually enforce the regulations, millions of trees are needlessly cut down every year to produce the printed versions of the Regulations and the numerous amendments that accompany them.

HoofRocks

wirehairmax wrote: »

Whats supposed to happen is your planning permission and plans are supposed to be accompanied by a provisional BER along with the printout from DEAP showing how you intend to comply with and meet Part L. Your local Building Control officer should then be able to interpret the information and make recommendations based on the proposed methods of compliance and then monitor construction to ensure compliance. A final BER certificate is then completed by your Engineer/Surveyor/Architect, based on actual construction and this forms part of the Opinion of Compliance with Planning Permission and Building Regulations.
What actually happens is that most councils havn't enforced this up to now, the average self-builder slaps on some solar panels (usually not enough) fits an oil boiler, only comes looking for a BER cert coming near the end of the build so they can make the final drawdown of the mortgage and is amazed if its pointed out to them that their house doesnt actually comply with Building regs. The amazing thing though is that the house can actually be up to possibly a B2 rating but not actually comply as the cert itself does not state this. Only the ''detailed report'' will state compliance or not and this is never asked for or produced to the banks for final drawdown. Once the colourful BER cert is attached, usually everybody is happy.
its a typical Irish solution to an Irish problem. Unless Building Control actually enforce the regulations, millions of trees are needlessly cut down every year to produce the printed versions of the Regulations and the numerous amendments that accompany them.

That us crazy but I Think for ourselves we will benefit getting it done before hand. Quotes I got are for preliminary accessment 200 and accessment after construction 150 I got another quote for 150 before and 90 after.

They all seem to be around that in my area. With no compromise either!

HoofRocks

Got the results of our provisional ber accessment today.

Rating A3
Heating system wood pellet and solar panels
natural ventilation
our CPC has passed easily. we are .04 out on the EPC so we aim to improve this by better windows and doors.

has really changed our point of view. We were all set for cavity bead insulation, heat recovery and a heat pump. none of which has come up in this... so here's hoping we can follow through on provisional cert.