Daft Property - Irish Property News

Will your home pass the test?... From next month, all houses on the market will have to have a Building Energy Rating certificate. What does this mean for homeowners, renters and landlords? WHEN THE Building Energy Rating (BER) assessor came by it was a cold two degrees outside and we were all wearing our fleeces indoors - even with the blinds down, curtains drawn and the heating on. Good recyclers and energy-conscious home owners, we thought we'd do okay. We knew we would be nowhere close to the top of the scale but we thought we might scrape through with a D. The house was partially carpeted. We had blinds on our double-glazed windows and draught proofing on the front doors. However, the assessor, James Carroll of greenthinking.ie, explained how the cavity walls were letting cold air in. Pumping polystyrene bead insulation into the cavities would be the only way to reduce this huge loss of heat, he explained. Meanwhile, our stylish flame-effect gas fires were merely cosmetic, he