Why you shouldn't be afraid of the BER process

Adding value with every incremental improvement, even a modest BER bundled together with its Advisory Report may tempt rather than repel a potential buyer.

There are some changes that may coax out a better result from your BER survey, including LED lighting throughout the home. Vintage View. April 13. Picture: iStock

TALKING to agents on the ground, there’s a perceptible shift in buyer behaviour that should prompt every property owner to take stock of the energy performance of our homes. Getting a reading on the sustainable talent of your home starts with a Building Energy Rating or BER, the most commonplace (and cheapest) of energy surveys.

Those letters and numbers will be highly pertinent when it comes to selling on and could influence a buyer’s decision between comparable homes. 99% of homes built between 2020 and 2023 were awarded a BER in the As. For second-hand homes, a C or D rating would be typical.