New figures from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) have revealed that over 100,000 Irish homes have had Building Energy Ratings (BERs) completed to date.

The majority of the ratings were completed since January 2009, the first year for full implementation of the BER scheme.

Introduced in 2007 as part of a European Directive to improve the energy performance of homes, the rate of BER publications has steadily increased in 2009, averaging 300 per day, and indicating an increasing awareness of, and compliance with, the legislation.

Initially the scheme only applied to new homes, but since 1 January 2009 all homes being sold or rented are also required to have a BER certificate that shows prospective buyers or tenants the energy performance of the home. Research shows that landlords are the group most aware of the need for a BER certificate, with awareness now at 76%. While awareness is improving in most quarters, tenants looking to rent are the least aware of their entitlement to get a BER cert with awareness only at 38%.

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"The BER Scheme is a practical scheme which helps current and prospective homeowners make informed choices when selecting or upgrading a property," said Irish Minister for Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan.

"The success of the scheme last year shows that the energy performance and efficiency of a property is becoming increasingly important for Irish homeowners."

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley added: "The systems now in place and the increasing consumer awareness will be important factors in the continuous improvement of the energy performance of our building stock. This will help underpin future Building Regulation changes and efforts to upgrade existing buildings."

(NS/GK)