I was considering installing solar panels and was told that in order to get the grant my house would have to reach BER C minimum.or at least BER D before installation.I contacted a local assessor and he quoted me €600 to carry out a BER.This man had visited my home which is a large 4 bed dormer bungalow previously. I thought the price was exorbitant as I assume the process only takes an hour to carry out.What would be the average price of a BER? It seems if I was to be sure my house was BER D I would have to have assessment carried out beforehand to make sure I would qualify for grant and again after installation of panels to get grant? Any way around this?
Price for BER
- Thread starter Haille
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TrundleAlong
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What does the BER assessor actually do when he/she calls to your home. If you purchased a Thermal Leak Detector for about €50, could you not do most of the work yourself?
I think if I paid €600 to be told that I needed thicker insulation in my attic, beads inserted in the cavity walls, new windows, internal or external wall insulation.....I wouldn't be impressed.
I think if I paid €600 to be told that I needed thicker insulation in my attic, beads inserted in the cavity walls, new windows, internal or external wall insulation.....I wouldn't be impressed.
Lambchops65
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200-250 euros in average to get BER done. I've just had 2 completed.
Many thanks.I will not be paying €600 for BER. A while back I paid €400 for an air test.A total waste of money.I had planned to pump cavity walls .Therei is already 2 inch aero board insulation from 1989. I had also planned to dry line internal walls .All of which should raise my BER rating ( whatever it is).Should I concentrate on this first before considering solar panels.
True, but unless you have a good idea what the current rating is, it's very difficult to say what the outcome will be. Unless you know an assessor, I very much doubt any will commit to give you an indicative rating without inspecting the house.
See here for how the BER rating is assessed and calculated. The assessors have to inspect every element and use documentation or evidence you can provide or make an assessment as to the thermal efficiency properties of each. The DEAP software then calculates a rating on all that.
I presume you mean a thermal camera which really just shows a visualisation of the temperature measured across an area. They don't measure loss directly and care must be taken in how you go about testing a building to ensure you're not confusing issues like solar thermal effects with heat conduction.
A €50 one will be waste of money, you'd be better off buying a decent infrared thermometer and spending time taking readings across the surfaces. Some of the hire shops will rentthe good cameras for about €100 a day.
Many libraries will have the kits available including a thermometer to carry out heat loss assessments.
You're right, you certainly don't need a BER to highlight the obvious, and most people get BERs because they have to for various reasons (selling, renting. availing of grants). This guide will help prioritise the spend for many of the common house types here.
Baby boomer
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If you know your local friendly estate agent, they can usually point you in the direction of a BER assessor who will do a reasonably priced assessment to comply with the requirement.
It'll be well short of €600. Was under 200 when I got it done a few years ago, and that was Dublin prices.
It'll be well short of €600. Was under 200 when I got it done a few years ago, and that was Dublin prices.
The 2ins aeroboard will still be there in the cavity. I cannot see the logic of drylining the same inside walls, and also pumping insulation into the already insulated cavity.
Excessive, in my opinion and may not impact on the BER rating at all.
Yep, and perhaps introduces a significant problem if the dew point ends up within the wall creating perfect conditions for a mould infestation.
I had a BER assessment for solar panels last year. It cost 240 euro for a 4 bed house.
www.lpassessors.ie were the guys I used.
www.lpassessors.ie were the guys I used.
Not specifically doing it to increase BER but to increase insulation of existing walls.While 1.5 inch aero board was standard insulation back in the 1980’s build.I put 2 inch in back then.If I want to improve on wall insulation I see this as only option unless I opt for the more expensive external insulation.How else do I improve on wall insulation.Icannot undo the lack of floor insulation as it was not done back then.
We used 50mm (62.5MM) PIR insulated plasterboard for the walls.
Unilin Insulated Plasterboard 63mm - 2438 x 1200mm
We put it up on the walls ourselves. It's not that difficult to do. But you will need a plasterer afterwards to hide all the joints.