Briefly Stages Choices & Extras Building Energy Efficiency Caring for your new home Glossary of Terms

Building Energy Rating (BER)

By now everyone should be familiar with the energy ratings that we have on household appliances and now a similar kind of system is being brought in for the energy performance of houses. This is done to allow prospective buyers or tenants to factor energy performance and costs into their comparison of different properties and into their ultimate decision. It would give the buyers and tenants the option to view how good the property is insulated and how energy efficient it is before buying or renting.

Almost all buildings that are either newly constructed or otherwise placed on the market for sale or rental will have to have an energy efficiency certificate. The main exemption applies to listed buildings of outstanding architectural or historical importance. The certificate will most likely be similar to the energy label for domestic electrical appliances, which rates the energy performance of the appliance from A to G, and which expresses energy consumption (in kWh) under standard conditions of use.