Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will provide details of the number of BER certificates that have been issued by Sustainable Energy Ireland over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34157/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006 – 2008 established the Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme under which a BER certificate must be obtained whenever a dwelling is commissioned or is subject to an offer for sale or letting. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), as the designated issuing authority under the regulations, is responsible for the day to day administration of the BER scheme. The assessment of buildings must be carried out by independent BER assessors who are registered with SEAI. The latest figures from SEAI indicate that some 141,601 BER certificates have issued in respect of both domestic and non-domestic buildings since the regulations were first introduced. In broad terms, a total of – 50 BER certificates issued in 2007; 3,068 issued in 2008; 89,584 issued in 2009; while a further 48,899 issued up to the end of August this year.

While the requirement for a BER certificate was introduced for new dwellings with effect from 1 January 2007, a transitional planning-related exemption applied in the case of dwellings for which planning had been applied for prior to 31 December 2006 subject to substantial completion by 30 June 2008. The overwhelming majority of housing completions for 2007 and 2008 would have benefited from this exemption as indicated by the low number of BER certificates issued in those years.