Commercial & Industrial BERs
The BER now applies to all new commercial and industrial builds submitted for planning after 1st July 2008. Should the proposed new non -domestic build have been applied for prior to this date, then it is exempt from the requirement for a BER certificate provided that the building is substantially completed prior to 30th June 2010. Midlands Energy Assessors commercial energy consultants will provide expert energy consultancy to developers of office, retail, public and industrial buildings. Our consultants are both qualified engineers and fully qualified and registered BER assessors.
Midlands Energy Assessors are SEI registered in Ireland to carry out commercial building energy ratings. A Building Energy Rating (BER) and Advisory Report is required for new Non Domestic buildings for which planning permission has been applied for on or after July 2008. .
MEA use the Non Domestic Energy Assessment Procedure (NEAP) to demonstrate compliance with specific aspects of Part L of the Building Regulations. NEAP is also used to generate the Building Energy Rating (BER) and advisory report for new and existing non-domestic buildings.
The BER is an indicator of energy performance covering energy use for space heating and cooling, water heating, ventilation and lighting. A Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate is an energy label for buildings, it is similar to that used on electrical appliances. The label is a 21-point scale and indicates the energy rating of a property. The rating is expressed in the form of performance bands with 'A' being the most energy efficient and 'G' the least efficient.
For architects and engineers currently designing non-domestic commercial buildings, MEA can carry out an assessment of their plans to determine compliance to Part L regulations and provide a provisional energy performance certificate (valid for two years). On completion of the building/project we can then do the actual BER (Building Energy Rating) valid for 10 years.
Quotations for this work can only be provided after plans have been submitted for review and the client has completed a preliminary questionnaire providing as much information as possible. Some of the information required includes.
- Full details of floor plans, including building elevations, and sections - either send printed copies of plans by post to the assessor, or alternatively email drawings.
- All rooms and areas to be clearly labelled on drawings, this is used to identify the activities associated with each area (for example: Reception, toilets, restaurant, Storeroom, hotel bedroom, gym, classroom, offices, Meeting room, warehouse, loading area etc.).
- General details of the building, including the building type (e.g. office block, hotel, leisure centre, restaurant, shop, library, supermarket etc.).
- Full address, client details, building orientation, etc.
- Full details of specification for the construction of floors, walls, ceilings, roofs, and finishes.
- Design air permeability of building and/or building zones.
- Full window and door specifications, including frame material, width of
gap, and emissivity of glass.
- Full details and types of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, fuel types, and outline control details of the heating and/or air conditioning system.
- Full details of plant, such as boilers, chillers, heat pumps, etc., including make and model (if known), or the generic type of items of plant.
- Hot water system specification, including calorifier size, insulation to cylinder and pipes, and controls).
- Types and efficiencies of all fans, heat recovery systems, HVAC systems etc., and any ductwork leakage testing procedures.
- Full details of any fixed secondary heating, cooling, and hot water systems.
- Full details of lighting, including lamp types, the number and distribution of (lighting plans), including installed efficiencies in some cases, and all lighting controls.
- Details of any additional renewable energy technology, such as heat recovery systems, solar hot water, heat pumps, wind power, photovoltaic, CHP, etc.
This list is not exhaustive and further information may be requested, if details are missing and or cannot be confirmed with the documents provided then it may be necessary to carry out a site inspection to determine the facts. Don’t be daunted by the size of the questionnaire our highly qualified energy assessors are on hand to help you with any queries you may have.
How do I find out more?
Simply call Midlands Energy Assessors on 1890 301 301 and one of our team of highly qualified, SEI registered Assessors will be more than happy to deal with any query you may have.
Registered Non Domestic Assessor is Frank Shaw; assessor number 101910
