Insulation Airtightness Design for Health and Comfort
Building Energy Ratings

FAQs

What is a BER Certificate?
Why were BER Certificates introduced?
What does a BER Certificate look like?
What is cost of a BER Certificate?
What are the effective dates for requirement of BER in Irish Legislation?
What is a Passive House?
What is a Carbon Neutral House/Zero Energy Design(ZED)?
What are the main factors affecting Energy Efficiency and Conservation of Fuel?
Is a BER required for school buildings?
Is a BER required for public buildings?
Links.

What is a BER Certificate?

A Building Energy Rating Certificate is essentially an energy label similar to a household electrical appliance label with a scale from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) with a build in indicator of a building’s Carbon Dioxide emission level.

The BER will affect the value of properties into the future and public awareness of this will drive the markets to produce buildings with higher ratings.

Ratings are on a scale of A - G and are further subdivided with A certifying a primary energy use of less than 25kWh/m2/year down to G certifying a primary energy use greater than 450 kWh/m2/hr. Significantly the A rated properties are the most energy efficient and will have the lowest energy bills and CO2 emissions and thus will be the most attractive to purchase or rent.

In order to achieve the higher ratings architects and developers will be required to design dwellings which go above the minimum standards and which include more energy efficient features such as much increased insulation and airtightness levels, Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery systems, more energy efficient glazing, condensing boilers, passive solar design, renewable energy and low carbon technologies, etc. where every variation in the form of an upgrade in the specification for buildings will have a direct and significant bearing on DEAP calculation and the resulting BER Certificate.

Why were BER Certificates introduced?

In order to fulfil commitments to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of December 1997 the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union introduced the production of a BER Certificate [or Energy Performance Certificate (ERC)] in an independent and legal method to provide a consumer label designed to encourage and facilitate implementation of the legislation to bring effect to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2002/91/EC adopted by EU in December 2002 and to create an awareness of and responsibility for sustainability. This Directive was transposed into Irish Legislation through Statutory Instrument S.I. No. 872 of 2005, European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2005, S.I. No. 873 of 2005, Building Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (TGD L) on 21st December 2005 and S.I. No 666 of 2006, European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 on 19th December 2006.

What does a BER Certificate look like?

Business Energy Rating Certificate

What is cost of a BER Certificate?

This depends on the number, scale and complexity of building(s) and is being continuously revised and challenged.

Most BER assessments for existing buildings are made using so called “default” settings which are based on typical insulation standards for a particular age band such as 1978-1982 or 1983-1993 etc. but if evidence exists of better than typical or upgraded insulation standards in a building then separate calculations may be made and defaults over ridden which may in many cases lead to a better BER. This obviously requires that more consideration be given in preparing a BER and should be factored into any quotations obtained.

Compliance with Part L & L1 of Building Regulations for new and some recently built existing buildings may also lead to some complex issues requiring a further understanding of building process and an ability to recognize and implement.

See Contact Us.

What are the effective dates for requirement of BER in Irish Legislation?

NEW BUILDINGS: BER Certificates are required at the point of sale or rental of all new buildings. The requirement to provide a BER Certificate for a building was introduced by legislation in the following stages.

  • From 1 January 2007, a BER Certificate is required by law for new domestic buildings, for which planning permission has been applied for on or after this date, when they are offered for sale or rent.
  • From 1 July 2008, a BER Certificate is required by law for all new non-domestic buildings for which planning permission is being applied for when they are offered for sale or rent.
It should be noted that currently some local authorities require provisional BER certificates to be lodged with the planning application documents for new buildings. The assessment of the energy performance of buildings can only be carried out by a SEI registered BER assessor in accordance with the requirements of the EPBD Regulations and relevant current Irish Government Legislation.

EXISTING BUILDINGS: As set down in Irish Legislation S.I. No 666 of 2006, European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 Building Energy Ratings will be required for all existing buildings of any class when offered for sale or rent on or after 1st January 2009.

Part 1.

  1. A national monument for the purposes of the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2004, including a recorded monument under the provisions of Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment ) Act 1994 or a registered historic monument under the provisions of the Section 5 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1987; or
  2. A protected structure or proposed protected structure within the meaning of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2006; or
  3. A building used as a place of worship or for the religious activities of any religion; or
  4. A temporary building as defined in Classes 10 to 13 of the Third Schedule to the Building Regulations 1997 (S.I. No 497 of 1997); or
  5. An industrial building not intended for human occupancy over extended periods and where the installed heating capacity does not exceed 10 W/m2; or
  6. A non-residential agricultural building where the installed heating capacity does not exceed 10 W/m2; or
  7. A stand alone building with a total useful floor area of less than 50m2.
Part 2.
  1. A new dwelling for which planning permission was applied for or a planning notice was published on or before 31 December 2006, and where substantial work is completed by 30 June 2008.
  2. A new building, other than a dwelling, for which planning permission is applied for or a planning notice is published on or before 30 June 2008 and where substantial work is completed by 30 June 2010, except when such building is offered for a second or subsequent sale or letting.
  3. A new dwelling in respect of which an application for certification for the purposes of Section 25 of the DDA Act of 1997 was made on or before 31 December 2006 and where substantial work is completed by 30 June 2008.
  4. A new building, other than a dwelling, in respect of which an application for certification under Section 25 of the DDA Act of 1997 was made on or before 30 June 2008 and where substantial works is completed by 30 June 2010 except where such building is offered for a second or subsequent sale or letting.
  5. Any building, other than a dwelling, which is exempted development by virtue of Section 25(7)(a)(i) of the DDA Act of 1997 and where substantial work on such development is completed by 30 June 2010 except where such building is offered for a second or subsequent sale or letting.

What is a Passive House?

“Passive House” is properly a building in which a comfortable interior climate can be maintained without active heating and cooling systems (Adamson 1987 and Feist 1988). The house heats and cools itself, hence "passive".

Dr. Wolfgang Feist founded the “Passivhaus Institute” in Darmstadt, Germany in 1996 which acts as the Certification Institute testing the various required technologies inherent in Passive Houses and to be a true “Passive House” a house should be certified by this Institute. There are now thousands of these homes throughout Europe but until now only a few here in Ireland.

ECO2 participated in a training course in early 2009 both in Ireland and Frankfurt sponsored by the German-Irish Chamber of Commerce with lectures by Professor of Architecture Ludwig Rongen, Building Physicist Dr Karl-Heinz Dahlem, Landscape Architect and Passive House owner Thomás O’Leary and Architect/Energy Consultant Susanne Theumer of Passive Haus Institute, Darmstadt, Germany. This course was particularly focused on the refurbishment of existing dwellings, apartment and commercial buildings to Passive House standard.

The term “Passive House” refers to a specific design and construction for buildings with good comfort conditions during winter and summer without traditional heating systems and without active cooling.

Typically this includes:

  • excellent insulation levels with minimal thermal bridges,
  • carefully planned utilization of solar and internal heat source gains.
  • high levels of airtightness of the building,
  • good indoor air quality guaranteed by a mechanical ventilation system with highly efficient heat recovery,
and most importantly as specified in “The Passive House Planning Package” (PHPP) calculation modeled by the Institute for Irish latitudes:
  • the total energy demand for space heating and cooling is limited to 15 kWh/m²/y (4755 Btu/ft²/yr) of floor area of building.
  • the total primary energy use for all appliances, domestic hot water and space heating and cooling is limited to 120 kWh/m²/y (38039 Btu/ft²/yr)
Important points or features about the “Passive House” standard in relation to quality are that:
  • The actual quality of the building is probably related more to what cannot be seen than by what can been seen.
  • The high quality of design and build are not just ‘nice to have' but fundamentally necessary to achieving the low energy usage.
  • The acid test for the homeowner will not be whether it looks high quality but whether the quarterly energy bill is near to zero. This test is entirely objective and indisputable. (An annual heating bill of around €150 based on gas prices for a 100m2 home is expected.)
In short, a very long awaited revolution in design and site practice is needed if we are to adopt the “Passive House” approach. This would mean embracing the essential methodical and on-going training, auditing and testing procedures on site which are necessary components of the “Passive House” process.

The combined accepted energy consumption of a typical “Passive House” dwelling is less than the present average new Irish home requires for household electricity and hot water alone. With this only as a starting point, any additional energy requirements should be completely covered using renewable energy sources.

The following are the basic features that distinguish passive house construction:

  • Compact form and good insulation:
  • Southern orientation and shading considerations:
  • Energy-efficient window glazing and frames:
  • Building envelope air-tightness:
  • Passive preheating of fresh air:
  • Highly efficient heat recovery from exhaust air using an air-to-air heat exchanger:
  • Hot water supply using regenerative energy sources
  • Energy-saving household appliances:

What is a Carbon Neutral House/Zero Energy Design(ZED)?

Dwellings constructed to these standards take the design and building process to another level that we should also all aspire to.

Genuine zero carbon buildings are those that can export more energy back into the national grid than expended in their use, essentially the building becomes a small power plant. This requires a greater focus on renewables with solar photo voltaic/thermal and wind to forefront.

What are the main factors affecting Energy Efficiency and Conservation of Fuel?

The essential components of a building affecting energy efficiency and conservation of fuel are:

  • Insulation.
  • Glazing.
  • Air tightness/Heat Recovery and Ventilation Extraction Systems.
  • Solar Collectors.
  • Heat Pumps.
  • CHP units.
  • Low Energy Lighting and Appliances.
  • Passive Stack Ventilation. PSV.
  • Boilers – Condensing, Combi, Bio-fuel, etc.
The manner or order in which these components are used, installed or addressed is crucial to a high Building Energy Rating. It is a very complex matter and there is an endless supply of product information available from manufacturers at present. This information must be studied and used carefully in order to achieve the desired result. New and better products are coming to the market almost daily.

For example: The COP (Coefficient of Performance) is a critical factor to be considered in choosing a heat pump and directly relates to its efficiency but if heat pump is used in conjunction with underfloor heating great care must be taken in relation to depth of pipes in floor and floor finishes which may greatly affect the responsiveness and efficiency of system leading to much reduced efficiency and increased running costs.

ECO2 can help advise you on installations and efficiencies of many new products.

Other important factors also affecting the energy efficiency of a building are:

  • Exposure.
  • Scale.
  • Complexity
  • Design.

Is a BER required for school buildings?

Not essentially but a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) is required for all school buildings. This rating is calculated on the metered energy used and the floor area of the building. The Display Energy Certificate (DEC) Website provides schools with a free method of certifying the energy rating of their school in order to comply with the EPBD legislation. More information on this can be found within the website itself. www.energyeducation.ie

Is a BER required for public buildings?

From 1 January 2009 all public buildings with a gross internal floor area greater than 1000m2 are required to display a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) in a prominent place clearly visible to the public.

Links.
www.sei.ie
www.passiv.de/07_eng/index_e.html
www.spiritofireland.org/
www.feasta.org/
www.environ.ie/en/Environment/
www.airtricity.com/ireland/
www.esb.ie/main/energy_business/energy_intro.jsp
www.willis-renewables.com/features-benefits.htm
www.wizzmill.ie/
www.surfacepower.ie/
www.cellenergy.ie/
www.nutechrenewables.com/