Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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808. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the action that SEAI are taking to support professions that contribute to the eco-economy and jobs, with less aggressive control of BER assessors. [22662/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), transposed into Irish Law from 2006 onwards, obliges specific forms of information and advice on energy performance to be provided to building purchasers, tenants and users for consideration in property transactions. Under S.I. 243 of 2012, the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2012, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is designated as the Issuing Authority with responsibility for the registration of BER assessors, maintaining the registers of BER assessments, quality assurance, awareness raising and ongoing management of the BER scheme.

The BER Assessment system is an energy label with accompanying advisory report for homes. The rating is a simple A to G scale that reflects the level of energy consumption that would be typical of that home. A-rated homes are the most energy efficient and will tend to have the lowest energy bills.  Every property offered for sale or rent in Ireland must have a BER and that BER must be included in any advertisements. To date, more than 650,000 BER assessments have been registered with SEAI, meaning that around 40% of dwellings in Ireland have an associated BER assessment.

Studies conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) have found that BER assessments can have a significant effect on the value of a property. An ESRI study conducted on 36,000 properties offered for sale or rent, “The Value of Domestic Building Energy Efficiency – Evidence from Ireland,” found that relative to D-rated properties, otherwise comparable A-rated properties receive a sale price premium of 9.3%.A BER must be performed by an appropriately qualified BER assessor. To qualify as an assessor, a person must successfully complete a training course for BER assessors, pass a BER examination, have the required insurance policies, and complete the SEAI registration process. There are currently approximately 900 BER assessors registered with SEAI.

To ensure the quality of the work performed by these assessors, SEAI aims to audit around 2% of all BER reports. The audit process and associated timings are published and publicly available in SEAI’s Quality Assurance System and Disciplinary Procedure. SEAI also has procedures in place to deal with any complaints, disputes or appeals that may arise and copies of these procedures are available on SEAI’s website.

SEAI have more recently (May 2016) published new procedures to support the development of BER assessors. These changes come into effect from 1st August and introduce such improvements as Mentoring Audits to assist BER assessors. A new BER advisory report will also be introduced by the end of this year. This new advisory report will provide improved information on the potential energy efficiency upgrades a householder can make.

I believe that BER assessors have a key role to play as trusted advisors to homeowners and those renting property, by helping them make informed choices about the potential energy efficiency improvements they can make in their home. Given the importance of this role, the amount of properties that have a BER assessment and the impact this assessment can have on the value of a property, it is vital that robust quality control procedures are in place to ensure the integrity, reputation and quality of the BER system.