And was any other work done apart from the Solar PV install?
7.2KW system.
What size PV system did you install?
I recently got a new BER done post PV install. I have no idea how they do the calculations but went from a C1 to an A1. Cost was €195. No idea how it jumped that much or how the calculations were worked out.
10 bed house 😁
Pv is a great way to lift your BER because you get the benefit of the electricity energy Conversion factor of 2.08
Which means that every 1kw of electricity provided to the dwelling you get 2.08 of energy lift from it.
Like the opposite of how a storage heater apartment is cruxified due to its electric heating
€380 for mine 😮
Yeah €240 here in Cork a week or two ago
mine was €230 done on 03 May . (Mayo) Price was based on size of house .
Mine cost €230 a few weeks ago in the midlands.
Do ye pay the BER assessor fee each time you get some work done or is it 'part of the deal'? How much do they cost these days?
Mine went from D1 to B3 - 4.2kw E/W array+4.8kwh battery+ eddi water heater + newish gas boiler
Last BER rating was a C3. Since then, got new composite door, upgraded heating controls (zoned and better timing, etc), more efficinent grant vortex boiler, got rid of the electric shower, wood pellet stove (instead of multifuel). Am sure a 4.4kw system with Eddi will bring that up to the B's.
We did a deep retrofit in 2018 on our 1930s terraced house.
Started with an icy cold D2 (267.6 kWh/m2/yr)
Thoroughly insulated, removed gas and fires, added heat pump and ventilation; which brought us to an A3 (66.96 kWh/m2/yr)
About to get a 5.85kw PV array, which should, based on the DEAP calculations mentioned earlier, bring us to an A1 (22.71 kWh/m2/yr)
Originally a G, but have done several upgrades since then (over 6 years). Swapped out the storage heaters for an oil/solid fuel heating system with smart controls, led lights everywhere, new composite front door and pumped the walls with insulation, being the main jobs.
I asked the assessor if he could give me a provisional rating without the PV which was a D1, and the PV brought it up to the B3, but only just.
Really only another couple of inches of insulation to the attic is all that's left to do without spending a fortune.
Was that the only upgrades you had done since the previous BER assessment?
D1 to B3 with a 6.84kW install.
Just chatted with my BER assessor and he said that before the PV panels I was at A2 around 35 kWh/m2/year. When he added the PV panels it brought me from A2 to A1 and to -3kWh/m2/year.
I think the amount of I have also made a big difference 6.1kWp
Super stuff, for me it's not about a statistical improvement or even reduction of bills, it's about comfort. After 20yrs of attacking our 1970's semi the house is cosy, comfy and never cold, plenty of hot water on hand with minimal resources now needed to achieve this.
Very impressive well done
I'm a bit nervous posting this here as to be honest I am a but shocked myself at the result of my BER for my new build house A1 with a negative energy demand of -3kWh/m2/year....I'm posting it here because my provisional BER was an A2 and that didn't have any Solar PV in the calcs. I also had a wood stove in the Part L calcs and I don't have any stove or fire place in the actual build.
The only real difference from the Part L to what was actually built was the 6.1 kWp of solar PV (and no stove) so this is what I am guessing is giving me this result. Only got this from my assessor this evening so have not had a chance to chat to him about it.
But I am more than happy...It was not a goal of ours to get an A1 just to build the house to NZEB and follow the current specifications if not a bit better. I am sure its the PV that is making the big difference here
The main fabric of my house
Kore Passive Foundation
200mm pumped cavity
Triple glazed AluClad windows
Air to Water Heat pump
MHRV
6.1 kWp Solar PV
Underfloor heating upstairs and downstairs (each room has its own zone)
Air tightness of 2.4 (I think its actually a bit better as I replaced one or two seals on a sliding door since that were the letting in a small draft)
I went from C3 when we moved in to B3 post solar, but I did do other things listed below that helped the rating (just missed out on B2 by a few points).
We installed a 5.78kWp & a 5kWh battery system
Attic converted and insulated
Heating control - old analogue timer replaced by Nest smart thermostat
Open gas fire replaced by inset stove
Wooden front door replaced by composite front door
Lighting - 99% of lights in the house are LED
Hot water tank: replaced the old ~60L copper tank with a factory insulated 162L stainless tank - Eddi diverter also installed with the solar system.
I bought a house with C1 rating that was build in 2008. Previous owner had a BER assessment done. Which suggested upgrading gas boiler to >90% efficiency one; upgrading attic insulation to 300mm and adding heating controls via thermostat.
Upgrading gas boiler alone was going to bring up the BER rating to B3.
Now the question is how much BER increase should I expect if I add solar PV?
I would appreciate your thoughts on this.
Unless you're selling your house, no.
The proposed premium rate, that might need a ber would only be for new installs. Anyone else will just get the standard rate.
I have PV system in 5 months now but no grant as my house is less than 10 years old so didn't need to get BER.
Is there any reason I might have to get a BER in the future as in for the feed in tariff if it ever comes?
I've heard of assessors who won't take photos as they don't want the "hassle" associated with off-paper proof, in my own case my assessor did take photos and did work with them.
Where he failed was my oil burner, it had a hard coded efficiency percentile which put it below the 86% (which is a big reduction of your BER rating), I have the boiler serviced every year and have all my effieciency readings from professional boiler service guy and I've never been below 86%, despite pure documentated proof the SEAI side would not back down and "forced" a below 86% efficiency. BER guy was fed up and wouldn't "fight" the case so I just paid him and left it at that.
An assessor has to provide definitive proof for all entries into DEAP, based on SEAI's requirements for same. They are on a penalty point system which can lead to cancellation of their registration if 10 penalty points are accumulated over a two year period. Perhaps some assessors have another full time income and are willing to take shortcuts but most don't and are not being bitchy by trying to stay in business.
Thankfully I have the receipts for every and all purchases I've made for the house including stove, hot water cylinder, front door etc...
I also extensively photographed every step of the the attic conversion...
I even put additional pipe insulation on the (warm) piping to/from the new cylinder.. as I wasn't happy with it being left bare..
Hope you kept receipts! Depending on the BER assessor they can be quite bitchy, luckily I keep photos of everything so could "show" hidden improvements like floor insulation, insulated slabs etc.
1974 typical semi now with B2 but should be A3 due to SEAI not accepting my oil boiler efficiency and also extra panels installed since BER carried out
We bought our house as a C3, and have since done the following work;
Attic converted and insulated, originally it was the roll up stuff just laid out above the existing ceilings, now it's the foam boards in the roof and side walls (so I presume an upgrade on what was put in 15 years prior when the house was built), then the removed/remaining roll up stuff was packed under the floor above the ceilings outside of the attic walls.
Open gas fire replaced by inset stove which now seals off the chimney to the outside - not sure if this will affect BER, but it sealed up a terrible draught in the sitting room.
Wooden front door replaced by composite front door (original door was draughty, new door is 100% sealed).
Lighting - 99% of lights in the house are LED (Philips Hue). Only non LED bulbs are the cooker cover lights and under kitchen unit lights, which are rarely used.
Hot water tank: when the attic was converted, the hot press needed moving, so I replaced the old ~60L copper tank with a factory insulated 162L stainless tank.
Upcoming work;
Solar PV install - anything from 4.7kW - 5.8kW (depending on what they can fit on the roof, but the more the merrier), battery, Eddi
Not sure what the existing work, and PV work will do to the BER, but would be delighted if we could get up to a C1, and we'd be over the moon if we could get it into B territory!!
Future work we'd like to do is install an Air to Water Heat Pump, and then possibly upgrade the windows to triple glazed, but that's probably a few years away yet.
