Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has strongly rejected claims from architects and the building sector that property sales will grind to a halt in the new year because no assessors have been trained to carryout energy ratings on secondhand buildings.
From January1, all existing dwellings and buildings must be assessed and rated for their energy-efficiency before they can be sold or leased.
While no assessors have been trained to carry out ratings on existing buildings to-date, SEI has said it is confident there will be enough assessors when the legislation is introduced in ten weeks’ time.
More than 800 assessors are registered with SEI to assess on new houses, but these can be carried out from the plans of the building. For assessments on existing buildings, the assessors require new training and must visit and examine the buildings.
Following a surge in demand for new training, SEI will release the methods for calculating energy ratings on existing buildings this week. This will enable 20 training providers across the country to devise courses, which must be approved by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council or the Vocational Education and Training Awards Council.
A spokesman for the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) said that some of the body’s members who had trained as assessors for new dwellings had been ‘‘looking anxiously for information about courses regarding the new regulations’’.
‘‘We hope there will be a big uptake of training when these become available, because these assessors are very much needed” - he said.
Carine Gachon, of the mechanical and industrial engineering department at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, where more than 400 assessors have been trained, said she had been receiving daily enquiries about when the new courses would be available.
‘‘We hope it will be November, but there are a lot of things to put in place to comply with the certification of assessors. The new courses will be three-and-a-half days or one week long, depending on whether the candidate has done the previous course” - said Gachon.
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label energy rating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label energy rating. Show all posts
Monday, 27 October 2008
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Energy rating cert will cost up to €500
OWNERS wishing to sell or rent residential property will have to pay an estimated fee of €300-€500 to comply with new building regulations from next year.
From January 1 next, a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate will be compulsory for all homes being sold or rented.
The BER system, which will rate the energy performance of a home on a scale of A-G, similar to the rating system for refrigerators, is being introduced as part of an EU directive designed to improve energy efficiency.
Anyone who fails to comply with the regulations can face a potential fine of up to €5,000 or three months in jail.
Announcing details of the scheme yesterday, Sustainable Energy Ireland — the state energy agency, which is overseeing its introduction — claims that a BER assessment will cost on average €300-€500, depending on age, size and location of the property.
“There is no set fee and people are advised to shop around for a number of quotes to get the best price,” said agency spokesman Kevin O’Rourke.
Each BER certificate, which also contains information on the associated CO2 emissions, will be valid for a period of 10 years providing there is no material change to the building. New homes offered for sale off the plans will be issued with a provisional BER certificate based on design drawings and building specifications.
Property owners will also receive an advisory note with their certificate which will inform them how they can improve the energy performance of their home.
Mr O’Rourke said more than 800 BER assessors out of more than 3,200 qualified personnel across the country had already been registered to carry out assessments on properties.
More than 80 different measurements, including a building’s dimensions, orientation, level of insulation and ventilation, as well as the type of lighting and use of hot water systems and boilers, will be used by a standardised software package to calculate an energy rating for the property.
The energy agency claims 82% of new homes have achieved a BER rating of B or higher. Under legislation, BER certificates have already been obligatory for all new homes for which planning permission was sought after January 2007.
Mr O’Rourke said it was anticipated the majority of Irish homes built during the 1980s will have a rating of D1 — the 10th best rating of 15 different levels.
However, he declined to comment on what impact different BER ratings might have on property prices.
“Location will still be the most important factor but we believe the requirement for BER certificates will increase the importance of energy efficiency as a factor,” said Mr O’Rourke.
“It is clear that a home with a better BER will be superior, all other things being equal. People will realise that it is a much more comfortable home to live in.”
The agency estimates the annual average energy cost of a standard family home built in the 1970s or earlier is €2,280, compared with €725 for one built in 2008.
Similarly, the energy costs of a two-bed apartment constructed pre-1980 averages €1,600 per annum compared with just €500 for a modern flat.
* More information on the BER system from the SEI website on www.sei.ie.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
From January 1 next, a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate will be compulsory for all homes being sold or rented.
The BER system, which will rate the energy performance of a home on a scale of A-G, similar to the rating system for refrigerators, is being introduced as part of an EU directive designed to improve energy efficiency.
Anyone who fails to comply with the regulations can face a potential fine of up to €5,000 or three months in jail.
Announcing details of the scheme yesterday, Sustainable Energy Ireland — the state energy agency, which is overseeing its introduction — claims that a BER assessment will cost on average €300-€500, depending on age, size and location of the property.
“There is no set fee and people are advised to shop around for a number of quotes to get the best price,” said agency spokesman Kevin O’Rourke.
Each BER certificate, which also contains information on the associated CO2 emissions, will be valid for a period of 10 years providing there is no material change to the building. New homes offered for sale off the plans will be issued with a provisional BER certificate based on design drawings and building specifications.
Property owners will also receive an advisory note with their certificate which will inform them how they can improve the energy performance of their home.
Mr O’Rourke said more than 800 BER assessors out of more than 3,200 qualified personnel across the country had already been registered to carry out assessments on properties.
More than 80 different measurements, including a building’s dimensions, orientation, level of insulation and ventilation, as well as the type of lighting and use of hot water systems and boilers, will be used by a standardised software package to calculate an energy rating for the property.
The energy agency claims 82% of new homes have achieved a BER rating of B or higher. Under legislation, BER certificates have already been obligatory for all new homes for which planning permission was sought after January 2007.
Mr O’Rourke said it was anticipated the majority of Irish homes built during the 1980s will have a rating of D1 — the 10th best rating of 15 different levels.
However, he declined to comment on what impact different BER ratings might have on property prices.
“Location will still be the most important factor but we believe the requirement for BER certificates will increase the importance of energy efficiency as a factor,” said Mr O’Rourke.
“It is clear that a home with a better BER will be superior, all other things being equal. People will realise that it is a much more comfortable home to live in.”
The agency estimates the annual average energy cost of a standard family home built in the 1970s or earlier is €2,280, compared with €725 for one built in 2008.
Similarly, the energy costs of a two-bed apartment constructed pre-1980 averages €1,600 per annum compared with just €500 for a modern flat.
* More information on the BER system from the SEI website on www.sei.ie.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 19 July 2007
Million homes will need an energy certificate
ALMOST a million Irish homes are poorly insulated and energy inefficient - and their owners will have to fork out €300 in less than two years' time to get an energy certificate if they want to sell them.
The renewable energy organisation, Renewable Energy Skills Accel Project (RES), claimed yesterday that Irish households are wasting millions of euro each year on heating poorly insulated homes. The situation was unlikely to improve without Government intervention.
Aid
The association said that the provision of grant aid to the owners of houses built prior to the introduction of the 1997 building regulations would help improve energy efficiency.
A Government eco-energy rating system for all new houses started last January. From January 1, 2009, energy certificates will be required to sell or let all homes.
Owners who do not have a certificate will have to engage an energy consultant to rate the property at an estimated cost of €300. Their report will enable the owner to improve the rating by carrying out a range of works.
The Government programme promises to introduce a national attic and wall insulation grant worth €100.
RES chairman and Ennis town councillor Johnny Flynn said two-thirds of Irish homes - one million in total - were extremely poorly insulated.
"If this Government is serious about significantly reducing overall carbon emissions, as set out under the recently launched Government White Paper, then it must address the disastrous situation," he said.
Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
The renewable energy organisation, Renewable Energy Skills Accel Project (RES), claimed yesterday that Irish households are wasting millions of euro each year on heating poorly insulated homes. The situation was unlikely to improve without Government intervention.
Aid
The association said that the provision of grant aid to the owners of houses built prior to the introduction of the 1997 building regulations would help improve energy efficiency.
A Government eco-energy rating system for all new houses started last January. From January 1, 2009, energy certificates will be required to sell or let all homes.
Owners who do not have a certificate will have to engage an energy consultant to rate the property at an estimated cost of €300. Their report will enable the owner to improve the rating by carrying out a range of works.
The Government programme promises to introduce a national attic and wall insulation grant worth €100.
RES chairman and Ennis town councillor Johnny Flynn said two-thirds of Irish homes - one million in total - were extremely poorly insulated.
"If this Government is serious about significantly reducing overall carbon emissions, as set out under the recently launched Government White Paper, then it must address the disastrous situation," he said.
Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
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