Firms are being urged to establish smart technology solutions to help make Building Energy Ratings (BER) more informative for homeowners.

Funding of up to €150,000 is available under the competition titled Small Business Innovation Research, by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), in co-operation with Enterprise Ireland

Smart solutions, such as advanced mobile technology, can help make BERs a more influential factor in property purchase, rental decisions and also better inform home upgrade opportunities. Valid for ten years, a BER certificate also give builders, developers, vendors and landlords an incentive to upgrade the energy performance of the building by giving visible credit to superior standards.

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Commenting Mr Tom Halpin, Head of Information at SEAI said: "With the property market moving again, we want people to make the best decision for what will doubtless be one of the largest purchases of their lives. With almost 600,000 BERs already published, there is a wealth of useful data available to make BER a really powerful tool for all prospective homeowners and renters. Plus we have some of the most innovative and creative minds working in the ICT sector who have the ability to really bring the BER to life."

(CD/MH)