BER Assesor Training launched today!

Do-more

If anybody has been considering becoming an energy auditor for the new buildings energy rating scheme SEI will today announce details of the first training programmes which will take place during December.

Contact SEI for further details.


From SEI:

BER ASSESSOR TRAINING ALERT

To register as a BER assessor for new dwellings, a person must:

1. Have satisfactorily completed an accredited training course;

2. Sign a BER Assessor code of practice; and

3. Pay a registration fee of €1000 to SEI as the registration body


Details of the learning outcomes and other requirements of training providers have been published in the BER Training Specification for New Dwellings.

There is a need to have a sufficient number of registered BER assessors in active service to meet early market demands in relation to relevant new dwellings from 1 January 2007. To achieve this, an accredited training programme for assessors will be provided in three locations during December 2006. Details will be announced tomorrow (Tuesday 28th November) and registration for courses will be between Wednesday 29th November and Friday 1st December.

As demand is expected to be high, the entry requirements for these courses will include formal verification of prior competences and experience in the energy assessment of buildings and a commitment to active early practice as a BER assessor.

Wider training opportunities will emerge early in 2007 as a number of training providers complete the process of putting accredited courses in place.

saltie

This sounds very interesting and i`ve been following it for a while. Do you think it`d be worth jacking in a good job to take this on?
Do you know what income is expected from this?

Do-more

saltie wrote:

This sounds very interesting and i`ve been following it for a while. Do you think it`d be worth jacking in a good job to take this on?
Do you know what income is expected from this?

I wouldn't go jacking in a good job to do it just yet, but as the auditing for new houses is done off plans and doesn't need a site visit, once you could answer a phone during the day, I can't see why you shouldn't be able to start it up working evenings and weekends till to you see how things pan out.

As to what "early market demand" will be for this service remains to be seen, as I see it early demand will be from the forward thinking builders who are building to a high specification and will want to have their good work recognised with a good label, all the others will be making use of the exemptions which means that the real demand won't be until at least the middle of next year.

Still don't know what's constitutes "prior competences and experience in the energy assessment of buildings" as SEI state that there will be demand for 2000 assesors but I can't see that there are 2000 people in the country with "experiance in the energy assessment of buildings" but perhaps I'm wrong!

serotonin_sam

saltie wrote:

This sounds very interesting and i`ve been following it for a while. Do you think it`d be worth jacking in a good job to take this on?
Do you know what income is expected from this?

Dont give up the day job!
I went to one of the public information events during the summer. I expected 50 people or so. The place was wedged. A show of hands was called to determine what peoples interest in it were. 95% of hands went up for 'wouldbe assessors'!
Furthermore, they dont need anywhere near 2000 assessors. From their point of view, I'm sure its better to put this info out - drum up interest. To them (the SEI), its a case of making sure theres enough bodies to carry out the assessments at a reasonable price.

Do-more

serotonin_sam wrote:

they dont need anywhere near 2000 assessors. From their point of view, I'm sure its better to put this info out - drum up interest. To them (the SEI), its a case of making sure theres enough bodies to carry out the assessments at a reasonable price.

Definitely agree with you that 2000 assessors is way over the top. Even on this years house production figures of approx. 90,000 new houses that would be an average of 45 audits per assessor which @ €100 per audit would give you a gross income of €4500! Not even a good nixer...

When second hand sales and rentals come into the scoop of labelling in two years time the volume of audits @ approx. €300/audit will certainly rise but your overheads in carrying out those audits will also be considerable.

Having considered it, in the short-term, I really can't see many people making a full-time living solely from BER auditing. Some will, but more likely it will be an add-on for Engineers and Energy consultants.

Do-more

Good old Rip-off Ireland! They want €2000 :eek: for the 2.5day training course and then another €1000 registration fee to SEI and then they'll expect assessors to provide audits at a "reasonable cost", I don't think so....

http://www.buildingenergyauditing.com/

saltie

Hey thanks for the replies, I thought I was being a bit blunt with the "jacking in good job" but I see other people have done there maths and that it would not be feasible to do so.
After finding out today that 3 grand (rip off indeed!) is required for this I don`t think I`ll be pursuing it in the near future anyway.
Once again cheers for the responses as I (and an electrician friend) were thinking of this full time but now the realisation kicked in..

Borzoi

saltie wrote:

Once again cheers for the responses as I (and an electrician friend) were thinking of this full time but now the realisation kicked in..

Not to mention the fact that the builders will get their own staff certified, and will not be emplying an independant assessor.

serotonin_sam

saltie wrote:

Once again cheers for the responses as I (and an electrician friend) were thinking of this full time but now the realisation kicked in..

An electrician friend?? why would they want to give up such a great gig like that?

By the way, theres supposed to be over 3000 people on the SEI's mailing list telling them about the 60 places available on the December training courses! :eek:

serotonin_sam

Borzoi wrote:

Not to mention the fact that the builders will get their own staff certified, and will not be emplying an independant assessor.

You sure they can do that? I thought that one of the requirements was that they were 'independent'?

Do-more

serotonin_sam wrote:

You sure they can do that? I thought that one of the requirements was that they were 'independent'?

No, there is no requirement to be "independant" e.g. An architect can audit a building he has designed himself, once he is an accredited assessor. All they have to do is sign a code of conduct! They will of course be liable for spot checks. So I see no reason why a builder cannot have an assessor on their payroll. You could argue that all assessors will be sub-contractors anyway. as they are employed by the builder to certify the house and not by the state to do so. (The state should be doing it IMO.)

ardara1

Any body can complete the DEAP calc that is used to assess a dwelling for CO2 and Kwhr/yr on which your energy label will be based. Every new build from last July was supposed to have a DEAP done to prove compliance - haven't heard of any one doing them.
The energy label - a requirement from next Jan - is SUPPOSED to be completed by an INDEPENENT ACCREDITED person.
There is no accredition body in place and the persons charged with educating the assessors wouldn't know an energy assessment if it jumped up and bit them on their a---.
Don't give up the day job - it'll be as it has alway been with compliance with the regs - very wooly! There'll be tonnes of people doing them for builders - if the result isn't as expected - they get one from someone else that matches their expectations.

Do-more

ardara1 wrote:

The energy label - a requirement from next Jan - is SUPPOSED to be completed by an INDEPENENT ACCREDITED person.

Do you have a link to where it says that assessors should be "Independent"? Of course it should be logical that they would be, but I can find no such referance.

ardara1 wrote:

There'll be tonnes of people doing them for builders - if the result isn't as expected - they get one from someone else that matches their expectations.

This shouldn't be the case as all assessors are supposed to upload details of all audits to a central database and if two labels are produced for the one house then this should show up immediately.

There are of course many pitfalls in havings audits for houses done off plans, for one, the plans may not truly refect the actual specification as built and could show increased levels of insulation, higher spec windows and doors etc. etc. as there will be no site visit required the assessor has no idea of this.

ardara1

Do-more wrote:

Do you have a link to where it says that assessors should be "Independent"? Of course it should be logical that they would be, but I can find no such referance.

Article 10 of the directive is headed - INDEPENDENT EXPERTS!



This shouldn't be the case as all assessors are supposed to upload details of all audits to a central database and if two labels are produced for the one house then this should show up immediately.

I'll give 20 euro to charity if this happens - I bet they'll come up with some way around this - maybe making them accessible on the web or something - they will not have an office with people checking calculations - keep in touch

There are of course many pitfalls in havings audits for houses done off plans, for one, the plans may not truly refect the actual specification as built and could show increased levels of insulation, higher spec windows and doors etc. etc. as there will be no site visit required the assessor has no idea of this.

The money that would be required to actually checking on site will not be paid - it's as it has always been - houses sign off 'SUBSTANTIALLY IN COMPLIANCE WITH PART L' - why not throw a lot of money at building control, get them to check robust detailing and permeability, and that the specification was delivered. Building control in UK MUST receive air permeability test results - and written confirmation of detailing - then the calcs are re-submitted.

It's a paper exercise here.

ardara1

Do-more wrote:

Do you have a link to where it says that assessors should be "Independent"? Of course it should be logical that they would be, but I can find no such referance.



This shouldn't be the case as all assessors are supposed to upload details of all audits to a central database and if two labels are produced for the one house then this should show up immediately.

There are of course many pitfalls in havings audits for houses done off plans, for one, the plans may not truly refect the actual specification as built and could show increased levels of insulation, higher spec windows and doors etc. etc. as there will be no site visit required the assessor has no idea of this.

Article 10 of the directive is headed - INDEPENDENT EXPERTS!


I'll give 20 euro to charity if this happens - I bet they'll come up with some way around this - maybe making them accessible on the web or something - they will not have an office with people checking calculations - keep in touch

Do-more

ardara1 wrote:

Article 10 of the directive is headed - INDEPENDENT EXPERTS!

lol Of course I forgot to look at the directive itself! On the SEI website there is a notable lack of the word "independent"

However I did find this in an old email from SEI:

The issue of ‘independence’ as it relates to BER assessor and queries on whether or not an Architect/Engineer would be in a position to issue a BER label and BER Advisory Report for a building they designed, has been raised by a number of bodies. It is the consensus of the EPBD Working Group that an assessor who has met the specified prequalification requirements, attended an accredited training course, passed any required competency test and has met the necessary quality assurance and other requirements to register as a “certified assessor” will be considered to be an “independent expert” and will be permitted to carry out BERs on any building they have designed for a third party. This consensus is reflected in the revised Action Plan.

As we have pointed out before the question of certification off plans makes the thing a farce in the first place.

serotonin_sam

When they do the 'off the plans' assessments, is the charge per house or is it a one off charge if there were say ..20 of the exact same house type??

ardara1

serotonin_sam wrote:

When they do the 'off the plans' assessments, is the charge per house or is it a one off charge if there were say ..20 of the exact same house type??

Because Solar Gains are accounted for in the DEAP calculation, each indiividual plot should be assessed separately - but building control will probably accept a sample number of calcs (if they ever look at them at all!)

But ever individual premises will have to have an individual energy cert under the directive anyway.

serotonin_sam

ardara1 wrote:

Because Solar Gains are accounted for in the DEAP calculation, each indiividual plot should be assessed separately - but building control will probably accept a sample number of calcs (if they ever look at them at all!)

But ever individual premises will have to have an individual energy cert under the directive anyway.

So are we saying that the Assessor doesnt even have to go near the site.
ie.

Builder phones Assessor -> mails/faxes/emails drawings on. Assessor does calc's and supplies builder with rating cert.
No need to ever see the house(s)?

Do-more

serotonin_sam wrote:

So are we saying that the Assessor doesnt even have to go near the site.
ie.

Builder phones Assessor -> mails/faxes/emails drawings on. Assessor does calc's and supplies builder with rating cert.
No need to ever see the house(s)?

Yep, that's it in a nutshell, could probably be out sourced to India!

ardara1

I hear that the assessor will ask the buider to sign a piece of paper - 'The calc is based on drawing number such'n such - with this specification - is this what was built?' the builder says 'Yep' and hey presto - the cert is accepted as true bill!
Whether there's a come back to the builder rather than the assessor is another matter.

serotonin_sam

ardara1 wrote:

Whether there's a come back to the builder rather than the assessor is another matter.

If thats the case then I would imagine that the assessors liability is confined to the assessment made based on the drawing provided.

Is anyone going ahead with one of these GMIT courses then?

Do-more

serotonin_sam wrote:

Is anyone going ahead with one of these GMIT courses then?

Certainly not at the moment, I have my name on the waiting list with Energy Action and would expect their course fees to be better value than the GMIT rip-off!

The bigger question is whether there is a living to be made as a stand alone Energy Auditor and my take on that at the moment is No!

My feeling is that the Engineers and Architects involved in doing the developments will corner most of the choice work and most of the one-offs as well. Established Energy consultants will mop up the rest.

I think the situation will be a lot more positive for independent assessors when the requirement comes on line for secondhand sales and rentals.

Those with good contacts to EA's and are creative in offering them commission for referals etc., could I expect, build a profitable business.

I don't have a quote for professional indemnity insurance yet but would expect it to be quite considerable, add that to the €2000 course fee and €1000 registration fee and you are looking at decent expenditure before you print your first label.

For me it's time to stay sitting firmly on the fence, a well insulated fence of course;)

serotonin_sam

Do-more wrote:

I don't have a quote for professional indemnity insurance yet but would expect it to be quite considerable, add that to the €2000 course fee and €1000 registration fee and you are looking at decent expenditure before you print your first label.

It makes you wonder about the fee of €100 per assessment that the SEI are
suggesting...

pjbrady1

It appears that the software for this is not even ready yet. There has been no press release (to my knowledge) of software being up and running. So how is this going to be a viable operation nationally in Spring 2006 when demand picks up. The agreed fees were apparently based on what has happened in Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. So better guess than most I suppose. One thing is for sure I can't see this running too smoothly in 2006. Builders not building to the spec of the plan will be the biggest issue. Especially if you put in excellent insulation on your plans, but don't actually include it. So you get a good rating, but your homeowner freezes!!
P.J.

ardara1

pjbrady1 wrote:

It appears that the software for this is not even ready yet. There has been no press release (to my knowledge) of software being up and running. So how is this going to be a viable operation nationally in Spring 2006 when demand picks up. The agreed fees were apparently based on what has happened in Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. So better guess than most I suppose. One thing is for sure I can't see this running too smoothly in 2006. Builders not building to the spec of the plan will be the biggest issue. Especially if you put in excellent insulation on your plans, but don't actually include it. So you get a good rating, but your homeowner freezes!!
P.J.

We need to find somebody that was on the course and get an idea of what went on. From what I've heard the software has major bugs - it's bound to - no opportunity to test it, it's also rumoured that the company that developed it have refused to do any more work on it because the budget has been used up.
I know that the HARP register of boiler efficiencies isn't working yet.
Originally the SEI set a MAX fee of 300 for a calc - but have stepped back from this because they were afraid this would become THE fee - because the things will be pretty much useless, they'll be A LOT cheaper.
BUT - the guys handing the certs over - will they be legally liable for their calcs?

Do-more

Rumour has it that the Minister shall be making an announcement next week, lookin' like he won't be too happy with unSustainable Eegits Ireland!

ardara1

Do-more wrote:

Rumour has it that the Minister shall be making an announcement next week, lookin' like he won't be too happy with unSustainable Eegits Ireland!

The minister will announce that Ireland have now trained the first batch of assessors and will be among the first countries in EU to meet the directive - no mention that because of no inspections on site, no pressure testing, no accredited training course, no home grown trainers, no software that actually works - that it is a PAPER EXERCISE ONLY, but hey they've signed the dotted line - that's all that needs to be done.

serotonin_sam

ardara1 wrote:

From what I've heard the software has major bugs - it's bound to - no opportunity to test it, it's also rumoured that the company that developed it have refused to do any more work on it because the budget has been used up.

ROFL. The company that developed it are laughing. It must be in the public domain as to how much the contract was worth but it has to be a sizeable amount. The 'software' in question - it must have been put together by someone on a year out from college - and they werent studying anything related to IT either.
Its an absolute disgrace. All that had to be done was utilise the SAP or HER software seeing as they had already confirmed that they were following the UK model. The excuse is that because 'they have made changes to the methodology' (in comparison to the uk model) this wasnt possible. The second excuse was that the company responsible for the SAP software didnt tender for the irish software contract (they knew they would be dealing with muppets).
I despair when I think that we cannot implement something like this. What chance have we of implementing more important changes in other sectors ie. health service, etc, etc into infinity.

ardara1 wrote:

I know that the HARP register of boiler efficiencies isn't working yet.
Originally the SEI set a MAX fee of 300 for a calc - but have stepped back from this because they were afraid this would become THE fee - because the things will be pretty much useless, they'll be A LOT cheaper.
BUT - the guys handing the certs over - will they be legally liable for their calcs?

HARP will go live next week (might have something to do with the fact that its being run by the same people that organise SEDBUK for the UK).

ardara1 wrote:

Originally the SEI set a MAX fee of 300 for a calc - but have stepped back from this because they were afraid this would become THE fee - because the things will be pretty much useless, they'll be A LOT cheaper.
BUT - the guys handing the certs over - will they be legally liable for their calcs?

The minister reserves the right to wade in and set the price but he is not doing that from the onset.:D Who will be liable - the poor assessor of course. These people can do nothing else but fudge...oh and eh cover their own skins. Yes, the certs are useless - only positive thing that can be said about it is that its a start but the assessment will have to change radically for it to actually mean anything. It certainly wont influence the market whatsoever.
My feeling is that the building lobby is far too strong here and their influence has bastardised the BER rating into a meaningless piece of paper whereas it could have had a very positive impact.

The minister will be speaking on the subject next week. Any guesses what knowledge he may impart on the whole affair? Its not a trick question - right there under your nose..

ardara1

The methodolgy of calculation is not the problem - the DEAP excel spread sheet available from the SEI web site mirrors SAP in the UK - it will measure a design for KWHrs & CO2 - but it's what happens on site is 100% removed from the calc.

The Gov't, thru SEI is prmoting grants for renewables - but they're being put into poorly put together buildings - you'd save more CO2 with a roll of draft exluder tape and a bit of fibre in the loft - but it doesn't look as effective as a solar panel

serotonin_sam

ardara1 wrote:

but it's what happens on site is 100% removed from the calc.

Not sure if i'm following you here but if I am, the answer is theres nothing happening on site. If the builder was prepared to mail on the plans, theres no reason why the assessor would have to actually see the site at all. A provisional rating could be provided. On completion, the builder would be asked to confirm that there had been no changes from the original info provided (and lets face it, they'd have to sign for this!). If no changes (or otherwise revise assessment accordingly), final assessment can be forwarded to SEI and issued.

ardara1 wrote:

The Gov't, thru SEI is prmoting grants for renewables - but they're being put into poorly put together buildings - you'd save more CO2 with a roll of draft exluder tape and a bit of fibre in the loft - but it doesn't look as effective as a solar panel

TGD Part L requires the use of 10% renewables for water/space heating. However, by its very nature, its a Guidance document. When it comes down to it, there are no real building standards worth talking about in this country.

ardara1

Spoke to a participant from the 1st Galway course - quote 'Bloody Disaster'
The course should have included two modules - the first was dispensed with because the participants were picked from a certain category that should have the required skills for module 1 - (Architects & Engineers?????)

The software didn't work and the guy that was brought in from the UK wasn't very happy with procedings either.

Results are due out today I hear - I expect every one will pass!

On the point of the correlation between plans and site - the builder signing off the specification that verifies air permeability robust detailing and fabric U-values etc ???? it's a new way of thinking about construction, they either need to have training the energy efficient building or be inspected by building control.

serotonin_sam

ardara1 wrote:

On the point of the correlation between plans and site - the builder signing off the specification that verifies air permeability robust detailing and fabric U-values etc ???? it's a new way of thinking about construction, they either need to have training the energy efficient building or be inspected by building control.

Well that point I was approaching from the viewpoint of the assessor. The assessor will be liable in the case of an 'inaccurate' rating. So its my opinion (and others I have spoken to are of a similar mind) that an assessor would have to have some form of signoff from the builder (or maybe advise the builder in writing that the assessment was based on particular plan supplied & other info eg. heating system used, etc. as advised by the builder.
Bottom line is the assessor has to cover his own backside.

inspected by building control.

lol
And that happens how often?

ardara1

serotonin_sam wrote:

The assessor will be liable in the case of an 'inaccurate' rating. So its my opinion (and others I have spoken to are of a similar mind) that an assessor would have to have some form of signoff from the builder (or maybe advise the builder in writing that the assessment was based on particular plan supplied & other info eg. heating system used, etc. as advised by the builder.
Bottom line is the assessor has to cover his own backside.

Is this not exactly what happens at present when the architects signs off a project - to be 'substantially in compliance with etc etc' - and how many of the current new house build complies with Part L?
there'll be that many assessors in the country that will not have they're results regularly checked that the certs will become meaningless. the assessors RESULTS were originally to be accredited by a team who would then send the certs out from a central bank - bet it doesn't happen.

pjbrady1

Is there anybody who completed the course (no results yet we know) who feels that they know how to now proceed and give a BER cert for the plans for a new building. As of Januray 1st (7 working days time), we need several of such people. In my opinion the minister will have to delay the implementation of this scheme until the software is completely signed off and bug free. Especially if the software was tested in house by the SEI (in my opinion). Software would have had to been tested by an independent company, who would have needed to have been provided with the "full" and final specification of what the software needed to do, what data it should handle, results it should produce, admininstration side of things, scalability, stress tested for number of users reporting to database. The scheme may start as a paper exercise but how are they going to switch over to making it a software based exercise. The potential for error in a paper based exercise will undermine assesors credibility.

A further question comes to mind, who would be confident to start a career as an assesor when the software is not even ready. You might have the scenario of being qualified in something that is impossible to practice is (in my opinion)
All in my opinion
P.J.

serotonin_sam

ardara1 wrote:

the assessors RESULTS were originally to be accredited by a team who would then send the certs out from a central bank - bet it doesn't happen.

This is still the plan according to SEI (unless they change direction..). I believe they will stick with this system. They also claim that they will audit assessors - just a hunch but I really doubt that this will take place as regularly as would be expected.

ardara1 wrote:

Is this not exactly what happens at present when the architects signs off a project - to be 'substantially in compliance with etc etc' - and how many of the current new house build complies with Part L?

Yes, your right of course. But again we dont have very little in terms of building regs that actually mean something legally. From an assessors point of view, If it was me - I would be putting down on paper confirmation that its the builders responsibility to ensure that he satisfys himself that his building is in compliance with the building regs.

pjbrady1 wrote:

A further question comes to mind, who would be confident to start a career as an assesor when the software is not even ready. You might have the scenario of being qualified in something that is impossible to practice is (in my opinion)

I really dont think theres a 'career' to be had in this pj. A spot of part time work for newcomers. Its could be an extension of services rendered for architects or engineers (although they may very well lose interest if the going rate of the fee drops below what it should be - which I think it will).
SEI mentioned 2000 assessors - thats a joke.
1000 assessors - is still laughable..

pjbrady1 wrote:

As of Januray 1st (7 working days time), we need several of such people.

Ah, but do we though

pjbrady1

So is the only thing we are all in agreement about, is that things are going to get messy, several different parties will point the finger at each other and there is a strong possibility the implementation of EPBD in Ireland could turn into a farce. If 2007 gets messy, and it carries on until late 2007, well then new commercial buildings are coming onstream in July 2008. Can't see their being too many people available to audit these far more complex buildings.

ardara1

Has any of the guys that trained to be Energy Assessors started advertising their services anywhere yet?

Do-more

ardara1 wrote:

Has any of the guys that trained to be Energy Assessors started advertising their services anywhere yet?

I thought that SEI were supposed to put a list of approved assessors on their website! No sign of anything yet, typical SEI efficency!

serotonin_sam

ardara1 wrote:

Has any of the guys that trained to be Energy Assessors started advertising their services anywhere yet?

Have been mulling it over but is there really any point just yet. Theres no work out there. It only applies to dwellings that have planning applied for after 1 Jan 07. Its going to take a good few months for the first of these to filter through to a stage where the builders looking at getting a BER done dont you think?

Do-more wrote:

I thought that SEI were supposed to put a list of approved assessors on their website! No sign of anything yet, typical SEI efficency!
Today 08:08

They have promised to do so. However, the first 60 assessors - whilst trained - have not been registered with SEI as assessors. This will not take place until next week.

If either of you have an idea of where to get a good deal on indemnity insurance can you pm me please.:p

ardara1

Thought it might not happen

See Irish Times Article

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2007/0102/1167401997581.html

Do-more

Liam Reid - Irish Times wrote:

Privately, officials in the Department blamed the delay on the fact that the system of independent inspectors who will provide the ratings was not in place.

The above statement when decoded reads: SEI are a complete shower of tossers who couldn't organise a pi$$ up in St Jame's Gate!

ardara1

Found the press release from Minister Roche - well hidden - on SEI web site - can't link it but go to SEI.ie - then EPBD - then LATEST NEWS - then FOR FURTHER INFO PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE.

And apparently we know how much they're going to cost!

An initial batch of over 60 BER Assessors have already been trained and passed as competent by Galway- Mayo IT; and are now eligible for registration with Sustainable Energy Ireland. A significant roll out of BER assessors is expected in the first half of 2006.

Cost of BER Certificate

The BER certificate for new dwelling is expected to cost around €300- which will be payable by builder (including a self-builder) /developer or vendor/landlord. Reduced fees are expected to apply to identical new houses in housing estates; and identical new flats in apartment blocks. It is hoped that a competitive market will develop in the setting of BER fees but, if it doesn’t, the Minister will reserve the right to set maximum BER fees by Regulation,”

ecoeye

I have been trying to get on one of these courses for the past few months and have failed up until yesterday. The DIT are running online courses but I was told by a number of people that the course is too intensive to study online. I contacted a number of other providers and was told that they were all booked up until October !!

Just yesterday I went searching on google and I came across a company called Energy Experts, they are the largest BER training company in Ireland. They offer training courses in every city and have over 30 qualified trainers. They are running a number of courses in Dublin weekly and I signed up on their website which was very informative. They also guarantee exam results within 2 weeks which is brilliant as this will help me get started in carry out assessments for builders as most of the local authorities are now looking for BERS prior to granting planning permission.

eoghan.geraghty

ecoeye wrote:

I have been trying to get on one of these courses for the past few months and have failed up until yesterday. The DIT are running online courses but I was told by a number of people that the course is too intensive to study online. I contacted a number of other providers and was told that they were all booked up until October !!

Just yesterday I went searching on google and I came across a company called Energy Experts, they are the largest BER training company in Ireland. They offer training courses in every city and have over 30 qualified trainers. They are running a number of courses in Dublin weekly and I signed up on their website which was very informative. They also guarantee exam results within 2 weeks which is brilliant as this will help me get started in carry out assessments for builders as most of the local authorities are now looking for BERS prior to granting planning permission.

Now if that ain't pimpin', you should write ads for miracle hair growth/weight loss/add your own weak marketing campaign here:D

ardara1

Did a search and couldn't find them! - Where in Gods name did they get 30 QUALIFIED TEACHERS? In Ireland! - ENgland has been at accredited SAP education for over 10 years - They can't get qualified staff!

Any contact details please post.

mullanimal

I was searching up on this and found http://www.ber-training.ie

They are in Wexford I think, part of the Daralinn Health and Safety Training company.

Might be worth a look for people interested...

EcoSupply

I found these guys very good. Check them out www.cgtraining.ie

secman

Eco .. Any affiliation with co you are recommending in your very first post ?

secman

DaveR321

Not sure how active this post still is but here's my 2 cents worth..I did the SEI Assessor course with a crowd called chevron about 4 months ago, it was involved and I think it was fairly standard compared to feeback from other training centers. Anyway, I came out with an expecation of a lot of work as I am an self employed plumber in the area for a number of years and have done training on solar, geothermal etc. The thing is that there is not too much work out there on the BER side and I'm not sure if its about to change - despite what the trainer said to us.

The builders that I work with reckon they are training up themselves and, even then, that the architects on the job are most likely to care of BER assesment side of things. So much for my network. Are others seeing the same thing out there? Recently I have had a few private jobs through Onlinetradesmen.com from self builders and a few local referrals but that's about the size of it. I rang Onlinetradesmen.com to ask them if they are seeing a lot of work and they reckoned that the demand for private contractors is relatively small at the moment but said it is likely to pick up as second hand homes fall into it. I'm now not sure if getting into this area was a waste of money or not - any thoughts out there?

baguio

@Dave: Nobody has made any significant money at this. The second phase might be a little more interesting. However, factor in the downturn and all the people looking for ways of making a living and the supply/demand ratio isn't going to be a healthy one.
At best, this is a part time gig. Alternatively, a service to be offered by those where it fits in as an additional service complementing existing services.

The real money is being made by the training providers. Thats why its quite likely the whole BER deal was talked up when you did the course. Some training providers are marketing quite aggressively and theres a reason for that.