BER newbie question..

Duffler

Hi guys, complete newbie question so bear with me.. I've been in my apartment for about a year now and have had terrible problems with keeping the place warm. The apartment is a new build (2007) and the heating issue applies to all rooms. I've tried insulating all patio doors and windows with insulating tape to no avail as you can still feel the cold draught come through. Heating is provided by electric storage heaters.

The main living room during the winter months proved the hardest to keep warm. With a storage heater and electic heater going at the same time the room never got warmier than 19C, thats even with all windows covered by heavy curtains. What i'm now noticing is black mould developing on all walls just by the windows. This really shouldn't be happening on an build apartment.

In addition elecrity bills are astronomincal..last one came to €460 for 2 months!!!!

I'm not sure if it's original developer that i complain to or it's something i'll have to rectify myself. A friend recommended that i get a BER done so i can pinpoint where i'm losing heat and get recommendations on how to better insulate windows & walls etc.

If this is the case can anyone recommend a reputable assessor with all the proper qualifications and references??How much do they normally cost??

Cheers
J.

No6

J I think you might need more than a BER, you may also need some thermal imaging or even a pressure test. However before you do all this and spend loads of money get a professional, Architect, Technoligist, Building Surveyor or Engineer who may also be a BER assessor to visit and have a look.

Electric heating is the least efficient and the most expensive, the mould is probably due to condensationon forming on cold surfaces, quite probably due to no thermal break at the window jambs, an infa red photo could confirm this.

recedite

Apartment blocks are built with poor insulation but they still get a good BER because of the small surface area exposed to the outside air.
Thats why the soviet era Russians liked them so much.
Maybe your neighbours have all moved out.There is nothing you can do to stop heat loss to an unheated apartment above or below, or next door.

Insulating tape is for insulating against electricity, it will fall off soon because of the condensation.Then the fresh air supply will help to clear up the mould, that is if you have not suffocated by then.

aswhelan

Apartments with storage heating systems will never get a Good BER Rating. Most of them come in at a D-E rating. Unfortunately storage heating is not a good heating system at all because you cannot regulate it. It also sounds like you have your heating fans(on your storage heaters) on all of the time as your ESB bill is so high.
Sometimes builders do not put a cap on the highest block, this allows air to pass through the inner leafs of blockwork or between your plasterboard and blockwork, this causes a mould build up on your plasterboard. See is there air coming from beneath your skirting boards- This is an indication of the above.
If this is the case A quick fix would be to fill the plasterboard between the board and blockwork with foam at the top wall in you apartment all the way around.

MicktheMan

aswhelan wrote: »

Sometimes builders do not put a cap on the highest block, this allows air to pass through the inner leafs of blockwork or between your plasterboard and blockwork, this causes a mould build up on your plasterboard. See is there air coming from beneath your skirting boards- This is an indication of the above.
If this is the case A quick fix would be to fill the plasterboard between the board and blockwork with foam at the top wall in you apartment all the way around.

I completely disagree. In 99% of cases, this mould growth is caused by excessive moisture levels (rel humidity) inside the apartment condensing on the coldest building elements (normally around windows and in external corners). Especially if the OP has sealed his/her windows and doesn't open then regularly (at least 1 hour per day) to allow fresh air in and stale moist air out.
This last winter has been the coldest for a while and has caused condensation/mould issues in a lot of buildings. There are probably a number of issues at play here (insulation effectiveness, ventilation, air infiltration, appropriate heating) and all issues have to be included in the solution. Thermal comfort improvements in a building should include a full analysis of the effects on the building physics. Unfortunately, moisture generation and control is something generally not well understood or even considered in the irish building industry.
The solution to the OP's problem will only be discovered after a full survey of the apartment by an experienced professional in the area of building physics (i.e there is no quick fix, in fact not knowing the proper cause may well make the problem worse or introduce more problems)

SilverBER

I think that this is a typical case of 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing'. I would err on the side of Mick here, though, and would have an investigation taken up before throwing good money after bad. An apartment built in 2007, whether it has storage heating or not, shouldn't experience these problems. I haven't seen an apartment yet that has received an E rating.

Chimpster

aswhelan wrote: »

Unfortunately storage heating is not a good heating system at all because you cannot regulate it.

Not true. A good percentage of apartments using storage heating were fitted with thermostats. These stats work on the boost feature of the heaters and cut power to the heaters once the room hits the desired temp. This can make a big difference to the temp adjustment.

d'Oracle

Duffler wrote: »

I'm not sure if it's original developer that i complain to or it's something i'll have to rectify myself. A friend recommended that i get a BER done so i can pinpoint where i'm losing heat and get recommendations on how to better insulate windows & walls etc.

If this is the case can anyone recommend a reputable assessor with all the proper qualifications and references??How much do they normally cost??

The BER itself does not isolate problems.
You would be better off finding an architect or contractor, who might use the BER as part of their investigation.

A air pressurisation test will most likely only serve as a basis to make your BER worse. Unless you plan on gutting the apartment or at least gutting some of it to improve the airtightness, it is a waste of money.

Thermal imaging will probably do little other than tell you that your apartment is loosing heat through and around the windows. It is also pricey.

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