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Energy Performance in Buildings
The EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings
(EPBD) contains a range of provisions aimed at improving the
energy performance of residential and non-residential buildings, both
new-build and existing.
 The
EPBD obliges specific information and advice on energy performance to be
provided to building purchasers, tenants and users. This information is provided in the
form of a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate, which is effectively
an energy label that describes the energy performance of the
building. A BER is necessary at
the point of sale or rent of a building.
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) is the Competent Authority
charged with managing the BER scheme in Ireland.
While there are significant differences between BER assessment
processes for residential and non-residential buildings, the basic
approach is the same. All BER
ratings are based on three fundamental properties of a building:
•
Building dimensions / geometry – including size,
orientation, percentage of different building fabrics (e.g. glass,
concrete, wood), purpose of different building areas, air tightness.
•
The building fabric – the thermal properties of the various
element of the building.
•
The building services – including the efficiency of the
space heating, ventilation, air conditioning, hot water systems,
lighting, and the controls that are in place to regulate their operation.
The combination and
interaction of these three fundamental properties determines the energy
performance of a building.
There is often an emphasis on improving the performance of
the building services, such as the efficiency of a boiler, or a desire to
install a renewable energy system in order to improve the energy
efficiency of a building and thus its BER. While such efficiency improvements will
improve the rating, if the building fabric is not in compliance with the
building regulations (at a minimum), the benefits of what can often be
costly improvements may not be fully reflected in the rating or in the
energy bill. This is especially
true in the residential sector, e.g. simple improvements in the level of
attic insulation can be significantly more cost effective than installing
solar panels.
While having a BER certificate is a legal requirement when
leasing or selling a building, the value of undertaking an assessment
goes beyond legal compliance. Not
only does an assessment identify the energy rating of a building, but it also
provides a breakdown of the main energy consumers and a quantified list
of recommendations on how to reduce energy consumption and CO2
emissions. It can also be used to
check a building’s conformance with the building regulations. Therefore, legal requirement aside,
getting a BER is an integral step in gaining an understanding of the
energy performance of a building and forms the basis upon which future
energy reduction measures can be planned.
If you are
interested in the content of this article, and would like to discuss it
further, please contact Mr. Shane Malone on +353-1-474 1534 or email Shane.Malone@boc.ie.
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