BER home energy ratings ‘not reflected in fuel bills’

Householders banking on a high energy efficiency rating on their home to save them money on their fuel bills could be disappointed, a study has found.

For while the building energy rating (BER) scheme that rates properties on a 21-point scale from A1 to G3 suggests at least a 10% saving in energy use can be achieved for each point moved upwards, savings in money terms are only about 1.6%.

The Economic and Social Research Institute says the reason is that the types of energy use measured by the BER are very limited and it cannot take account of the wide variations in household size.

Prof John Curtis of the ESRI, who co-authored the study, said the BER did not differentiate between a family in a semi-D and a single person in a mansion.

But he said the biggest limitation was that it only measured energy use on heating, lighting and ventilation while excluding cooking, laundry, television and entertainment, computers, and other appliances.

“It’s a standardised measure that tells you theoretically what energy savings you are likely to make by having a higher BER whereas what we were trying to do is find out what it actually means to you in your pocket.

“If you were to take the BER scale and calculate the percentage change in energy use and then convert that into a saving on your ESB or gas bill, that would be the wrong calculation. I’m not saying the BER is misleading but it only measures what it measures.”

He said savings in money terms were further curtailed by the fact that energy companies applied standing charges that bore no relation to energy efficiency.

By law all buildings that are to be sold or rented must now be assessed for a BER rating. Studies suggest house price is reduced by 1.3% for every point downwards on the BER scale.

For that reason, it is still worthwhile carrying out the insulation and other improvements that will get a home a higher rating. Also the study found that while the actual savings on energy bills might be modest, they are sufficient over time to make the investment in such improvements pay for themselves.

“It still is a good thing to aim for the higher letter because if you can live in a more efficient house, that will save you something, but probably the most important thing is that you’re conscious of the fact that you’re using energy when you’re using appliances.

“Living in an energy efficient house isn’t going to be much help to your bills if you keep leaving all the lights on.”

Dwelling type is also a key factor. Families in semi-detached or terraced houses spend 24% more on energy than those in apartments while those in detached houses spend 42% more.