BER Cert cost?

Mr.Diagnostic · 05-01-2009 06:18PM #1

Hi all,

Any idea of the likely/usual cost for a BER cert in north Kildare area on a 12 year old 3 bed semi?

Also any contacts to get one done?

thanks

No6 · 05-01-2009 06:21PM

I know a guy up that direction i'll pm you his details!!!

Energysaver · 08-01-2009 07:35PM

Mr.Diagnostic wrote: »

Hi all,

Any idea of the likely/usual cost for a BER cert in north Kildare area on a 12 year old 3 bed semi?

Also any contacts to get one done?

thanks

Should be about €250 inc SEI fee and VAT.

Gumbo · 08-01-2009 08:26PM

Energysaver wrote: »

Should be about €250 inc SEI fee and VAT.

sounds too cheap....are they really only that price?
presume the tester has to rent out the extraction machine etc etc or would he have one of his own?

wouldnt mind getting one done on my own house at that price.

MicktheMan · 08-01-2009 08:56PM

kceire wrote: »

sounds too cheap....are they really only that price?
presume the tester has to rent out the extraction machine etc etc or would he have one of his own?

wouldnt mind getting one done on my own house at that price.

What do you mean by extraction machine?

sydthebeat · 08-01-2009 10:17PM

kceire wrote: »

sounds too cheap....are they really only that price?
presume the tester has to rent out the extraction machine etc etc or would he have one of his own?

wouldnt mind getting one done on my own house at that price.

A BER assessment doesnt mean an airtightness test....

250 + VAT sounds about right, depending on travel distances...

for airtightness testing think about 600-700 €€'s

topcatcbr · 08-01-2009 11:05PM

I know of a company doing Air tightness for €429 they are not ean but rearrange the letters and you have it.

Energysaver · 08-01-2009 11:21PM

BER on a 3 bed house costs about €250 including €25 SEI fee and VAT @ 21.5%.

Air tightness testing costs about €450 (less if combined with a BER assesment).

Gumbo · 09-01-2009 12:17AM

MicktheMan wrote: »

What do you mean by extraction machine?

if the OP has a 12 year old house, how is the test carried out for the BER result?
how can they cnfirm what is in the walls etc etc

not nit picking, just intrested.

topcatcbr · 09-01-2009 12:29AM

kceire wrote: »

if the OP has a 12 year old house, how is the test carried out for the BER result?
how can they cnfirm what is in the walls etc etc

not nit picking, just intrested.

You can often see this if you look inside your esb box where the wires enter/exit. if not use default values given for year of construction based on TGD at time. (simplified answer)

MicktheMan · 09-01-2009 12:34AM

kceire wrote: »

if the OP has a 12 year old house, how is the test carried out for the BER result?
how can they cnfirm what is in the walls etc etc

not nit picking, just intrested.

Good question.
Survey and result is based on a visual inspection, so no test done on the walls. This is imo the weakness of the system. The actual energy performance depends a lot on the workmanship of the tradespeople who built the house. The BER result depends on what the assessor surveys without any physical tests e.g. airtightness, TI, borescope ...
The preverbial s**t will hit the fan when a "A" or "B" rated 2006 built house uses significantly more energy than a 1970's built "D" house.:eek:

sinnerboy · 09-01-2009 12:38AM

2006 house built to regs is likely to yield a C rating .... but the broad thrust of what you say is correct

topcatcbr · 09-01-2009 12:41AM

MicktheMan wrote: »

Good question.
Survey and result is based on a visual inspection, so no test done on the walls. This is imo the weakness of the system. The actual energy performance depends a lot on the workmanship of the tradespeople who built the house. The BER result depends on what the assessor surveys without any physical tests e.g. airtightness, TI, borescope ...
The preverbial s**t will hit the fan when a "A" or "B" rated 2006 built house uses significantly more energy than a 1970's built "D" house.:eek:

If you want an air tightness test or IR/TI test or boroscope test done you can get this also and this info can be inputted into the BER but most are not willing to pay for standard BER never mind these additional tests.

Mr.Diagnostic · 09-01-2009 10:20AM

Just to close off the question I asked. I got prices from 250 to 480 all inc. its worth shopping around.

ben bedlam · 09-01-2009 11:50AM

I know a BER Assessor who does houses for no more than €225 including SEI fee

muffler · 09-01-2009 12:17PM

ben bedlam wrote: »

I know a BER Assessor who does houses for no more than €225 including SEI fee

Who's that? sinnerboy

S.L.F · 09-01-2009 12:33PM

I think I used the same crowd to survey my flat.

If it is the same bunch they are from Athlone

The surveyor John told me €225 is what he charges in general for houses

Cost me €175.

Not sure if I can mention the name or not!

muffler · 09-01-2009 01:01PM

S.L.F wrote: »

Not sure if I can mention the name or not!

Nope.

sydthebeat · 09-01-2009 01:11PM

S.L.F wrote: »

I think I used the same crowd to survey my flat.

If it is the same bunch they are from Athlone

The surveyor John told me €225 is what he charges in general for houses

Cost me €175.

Not sure if I can mention the name or not!

That seems to have become standard for existing dwellings

225 flat fee
25 sei fee
+ VAT @21.5 %

Anyone yet get a BER done where the assessor didnt charge VAT??

ben bedlam · 09-01-2009 01:35PM

sydthebeat wrote: »

That seems to have become standard for existing dwellings

225 flat fee
25 sei fee
+ VAT @21.5 %

Anyone yet get a BER done where the assessor didnt charge VAT??

Guy I know doesnt charge VAT

sydthebeat · 09-01-2009 02:01PM

ben bedlam wrote: »

Guy I know doesnt charge VAT

dangerous!

RKQ · 09-01-2009 02:09PM

ben bedlam wrote: »

Guy I know doesnt charge VAT

No problem, thats perfectly legal.

Anyone earning less than a certin amount does not have to register for VAT! I think its less that €36,000.

Maybe your Guy has just set up in business. Anyone registered fully with SEI, as a BER Assessor is legit.

The market will dictate the rate.

(Just like snag list, land registry maps, structural surveys etc.)
Make sure your BER Assessor is registered with SEI and has full Professional Indemnity Insurance. Always get at least 3 quotes.

topcatcbr · 09-01-2009 03:25PM

RKQ wrote: »

No problem, thats perfectly legal.

Anyone earning less than a certin amount does not have to register for VAT! I think its less that €36,000.

Maybe your Guy has just set up in business. Anyone registered fully with SEI, as a BER Assessor is legit.

The market will dictate the rate. (Just like snag list, land registry maps, structural surveys etc.)
Make sure your BER Assessor is registered with SEI and has full Professional Indemnity Insurance. Always get at least 3 quotes.

VAT limit is €37,500

Oherwise spot on.

S.L.F · 09-01-2009 05:49PM

sydthebeat wrote: »

That seems to have become standard for existing dwellings

225 flat fee
25 sei fee
+ VAT @21.5 %

Anyone yet get a BER done where the assessor didnt charge VAT??

No his price includes vat and the SEI fee of €25.

Total price for a 1 bed flat €175
Total price for a 2 bed house €200
Total price for a 3 bed house €225
Total price for a 4 bed house €250

sydthebeat · 09-01-2009 06:03PM

S.L.F wrote: »

No his price includes vat and the SEI fee of €25.

Total price for a 1 bed flat €175
Total price for a 2 bed house €200
Total price for a 3 bed house €225
Total price for a 4 bed house €250

for a typical 3 bed house that works out at €160 fee + €25 sei + €40 VAT.

assume 20 mile round trip in 2 litre diesel. travel costs @ €1.20 a mile = €30

and assuming at best 2.5 hours in total from leaving to publishing cert...

that works out at about €52 per hour.... no costs allowed for insurance, equipment, office expenditure etc

taking that as being a base figure for an office to run on and youd find yourself out of business very quickly. If this person is charging vat then i hope they have a successful enterprise behind them to supplement their income....

12 years ago when i was in college, the basic running cost of an architectural office was 80 pound (€101).....

This race to the bottom in prices will result in a lack of professionalism in the service, i can guarantee it...

DOCARCH · 09-01-2009 06:38PM

sydthebeat wrote: »

...and assuming at best 2.5 hours in total from leaving to publishing cert...

I really and honestly do not believe that a professional accurate assessment could ever be provided within that timeframe!

con1982 · 09-01-2009 06:43PM

Anything under 400euro for a 3bedroom semi-detached house would be pretty cheap. Then again you get what you pay for. It is possible to cut corners when doing the ratings. Just means that your property will probably end up with a lower rating.

The client should really do a little research before they appoint a BER assessor. I would recommend going to a small Architectural/Engineering practice. Might be slightly more expensive.....

sydthebeat · 09-01-2009 06:48PM

con1982 wrote: »

Anything under 400euro for a 3bedroom semi-detached house would be pretty cheap. Then again you get what you pay for. It is possible to cut corners when doing the ratings. Just means that your property will probably end up with a lower rating.

i did my first 'existing' assessmnet between today and yesterday..

the on site took me 1 hr 15 mins, but i reckon i can get this down to about 50 mins without client on site chatting,,,,

the pc assessment took 1 hr 30 mins... again i think i could get it down to 1 hr without the twoing and froing on the nas....

but travel time was 25 mins there and 25 back.....

so i would agree... no way could you do a proper assessment in 2 1/2 hrs....

No6 · 09-01-2009 07:04PM

I find the most time I spend is on taking off the dimensions accurately for new houses, using CAD where possible and scheduling all the information to a spreadsheet and then doing U value calculations for the different elements and creating a papertrail is what I am finding is taking up the most time. If I have all the information it dosn't take to long to input it into DEAP. I havn't had to chase up contractors or house owners for confirmation of all the elements but I can imagine that this is going to take time too. Even allowing only 50 eur per hour 200 only allows 4 hours work per assessment which isnt much when it includes all your overheads too!!! I havn't done and existing one yet, but i can see a lot of time being spent chatting, maybe I'm just too nice!!!:D

RKQ · 09-01-2009 07:40PM

con1982 wrote: »

The client should really do a little research before they appoint a BER assessor. I would recommend going to a small Architectural/Engineering practice. Might be slightly more expensive.....

If BER Assessors all did the Same course, received the same qualification, from the same SEI, same software, same SEI criteria so why recommend going to a small practice?

Con1982 are you trying to suggest certain BER Assessors are better than other BER Assessors? (If so, wheres your proof?)

Charges are no indicator of ability or skill. A Cowboy will have a high rate to hide his dishonesty. A professional service from professionals is all thats required.

Heres another reasonable calculation €50 per hour at 40 hours is €2,000 per week, which is €96,000 per year!

I could get by on 96K. In fact €50 per hour might be a heavenly rate in afew months time - its six times the minimum wage.

Lets keep the hourly rate calculations real as hourly rates are acceptable as a fee structure only because they include overheads.

Minimum wage is a little over €8 per hour so that allows anything up to €42 for "overheads". Or maybe you are worth three times the minimum wage then that leaves €26 for overheads!

Always good to chat, might bring referral business. Remember Pulp Fiction conversation about "pigs got personality"

No6 · 09-01-2009 08:04PM

Always the devils advocate RKQ, If I wanted to work for the minimum wage I would go to Tesco or somewhere similar and stack shelves, Then I wouldn't have to use my brain, take any professional pride in what I do, worry about giving a good service, get PI, Pl insurances etc etc, you know what I mean,

but at the rate these BERs are going it might be 50 an hour for 4 hours a week / month or even year!!! Nobody siad they were doing them 40 hours a week. I know some assessors who havn't done any yet!!:eek:

The assessors didn't all do the same course, they all did a course which complied with SEI's learning outcomes which were probably all delivered in different ways so unless some lunatic did them all they cannot be compared except by the SEI who to my mind have been struggling with setting up the system and perhaps have not had their eye on all the right balls. For example some trainers appeared to have trained anyone who paid them the fee, (I could have sent my dog!!:D) no construction background or minimum qualification required, others (like my own I must say) did look for evidence of qualification.

I do think that anyone who thinks they will do a BER either new or existing accurately with all the supporting paperwork and calculations in four hours is going to run into trouble. Eventually reputation will mean something but untill then the cowboy's are loose!!!:D

BER Cert cost?

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