1. BERcerts.ie
Joseph Kearney BSc (Eng), MBA, MA, C Eng, MIEI
Chartered Engineer & CEO

2. introduction
▪ Established in 2005
▪ Employ 4 full time staff plus 2 directors plus one part time
▪ High qualified and trained staff
▪ Based in Navan and Dublin

3. What we Offer
▪ Dom & Com BER certs
▪ Part L
▪ NSAI reg. Air Tests
▪ Sound tests / Part E advice
▪ Part F- Ventilation advice
▪ Assigned certifier:
▪ M&E
▪ Land registry compliant maps
▪ Chartered Engineers reports
▪ EA/TI etc

4. headers
▪ Part L introduction
▪ Previous regs - comparisons
▪ Calculations for the 2011 BR & DEAP
▪ Other data entries
▪ Misnomers
▪ Achieving compliance
▪ Procedure for assessors
▪ Forms to be signed
▪ Air test
▪ Sounds tests
▪ Cannot cover all of it in one go.
▪ Achieving A3 OR Achieving compliance !

5. Part L – introduction to 2011 BR
▪ 2007 BR saw the introduction of:
▪ ATT (% of houses)
▪ MPCPC & MPEPC
▪ Compliance only achievable through DEAP software.
▪ Renewables (10 kwh/m2/yr OR 4 for elec)
▪
▪ 2011 BR saw a number of further changes – see Table
▪ BCAR system introduced - compliance to Part L
▪ ( i.e. Design/ Inspection / completion Certificates for BCAR
systems)
▪ 1 July 2015 saw the intro of Sound testing on a % of houses
▪

6. Part L – Comparison Table 2007 V 2011
● Element ●2007 BR ●2011 BR ●Comments
●Walls ●0.27 ●0.21 ●Back Stop values
●Floors ●0.25/0.15 ●.21 / 0.15 ●Back Stop values
●Slopes ●0.2 ●0.16 ●Back Stop values
●Flat ●0.22 ●0.2 ●Back Stop values
●Ceiling ●0.16 ●0.16 ●Back Stop values
●Thermal Bridging ●0.08 ●0.08 ●ACD updated in 2015
●Windows ●2.0 @25% ●1.6 @25% ●
●MPCPC ●0.69 ●0.46 ●
●MPEPC ●0.6 ●0.4 ●
●ATT ●<10 m3/m2/hr@50Pa ●<7.0 ●Default 7 will not always work!
●ATT ●% of houses ●All Houses * ● *otherwise a default of 7.0 is used

7. Part L – Essential Calculations required
▪ Floor and wall and ceiling (true slopes, flat, ceiling)
Areas, Windows, doors, velux, etc
▪ Living areas
▪ Thermal mass – must be calc’d for new builds
▪ No of pumps, use formula
▪ U-values (use Xtratherm or BRE calculators)
▪ Photovoltaic, use formula.
▪ Heat Pumps – New requirements from SEAI, 2
spreadsheets, & back up data.
▪ Thermal bridging – SEAI excel sheet can be used.
▪

8. Part L – Other data entries
▪ Heat Source : boiler>90%
▪ Emitters: rads / underfloor or both
▪ Hot water cylinder size and heat loss value
▪ Stoves – Wood only will contribute towards renewable
▪ Use the HARP database, otherwise use efficiency *0.94 for wood stoves
▪ Photovoltaic is entered into Renewable section
▪ Heat Pumps is now also entered into Renewable section
▪ Air test value (only from NSAI registered assessor)
▪
▪

9. Part L – misnomers
▪ The following is not true/acceptable
▪ I cannot use oil!
▪ I must use a MVHR system!
▪ I must use a heat pump!
▪ I can use a wind turbine!
▪ I can use 0.15 TB!
▪ Rain water harvesting is a renewable!
▪ I do not need an air test!
▪ I don’t need any back up data for a provisional cert!
▪

10. Part L – Compliance to the BR
▪ Compliance to Part L
▪ ( i.e. Design/ Inspection / completion
Certificates for BCAR systems
▪ Specification Document for Client to meet
part L regulations
▪ To include all data entries into DEAP,
▪ eg spec walls/ Floors/
Ceilings/Windows/Doors
▪ Thermal Bridging Factors- use of ACD or
ECD. All these drawings must be signed
off. This includes provisionals
▪ A3 rating min, ( A3 Does not imply
compliance)
▪ However, compliance to the regs. means
min A3 rating
▪

11. Part L – heat pumps
▪ New calc required for heat pumps
▪ Eco design data to be supplied by the
supplier/manufacturer
▪ Otherwise default data used.
▪ Heat pump may improve significantly with
eco design data
▪ Any heat pumps sold after 24/9/15 must
have the required data made available.
▪ Only small number of suppliers currently
have all the data available.
▪ Supplier does not fill out the heat pump
tool excel sheet.

12. Part L – Procedure
▪ Agree a price in writing and obtain the deposit
▪ Obtain final drawings
▪ Discuss option with the client – advise the client
▪ What do they want? Eg build type, heating type, renewable etc.
▪ Complete calcs and create DEAP file.
▪ Adjust as required to achieve compliance
▪ Revert back to client – no deviation
▪ Create specification doc
▪ This document lays out exactly what is to be entered into DEAP.
▪ SEAI require that a record is held on all calcs and all insulation material used.
▪ Site visit
▪ Floor and wall inspection
▪ Final inspection / photos / all back up documentation signed, etc
▪ Fill out BCAR forms – release on payment
▪

13. Part L – Forms to be signed
▪ BCAR
▪ Design cert
▪ Inspection cert (also inspection plan)
▪ Completion cert
▪ ACD/ECD
▪ Each drawing referred to / used to be signed
▪ Specification doc
▪ To be signed
▪ Thermal bridging letter
▪ Final BER not released without payment.
▪
▪

14. Air tests
▪ Each & Every building require Air test upon completion by an NSAI
registered air test assessor.
▪ A low air test may mean non compliance for a heat pump!
▪ BERcerts.ie are the only company to have 4 air test assessors registered
with NSAI.
▪

15. Part F - Ventilation
▪ 4” Dia hole - No longer adequate.
▪ Calculation is required
▪ Type of extract system detailed in report
▪ ATT will impact on Part F
▪ Closable vents will impact on part F
▪

16. Part e sound & sound tests
▪ A portion of houses on an estate
have to be tested by a
certified tester.
▪ We were the first in the country
to have an assessor registered
with SITRI
▪ We offer guidance on achieving
Part E compliance

17. Other services
▪ M&E Consultancy
▪ Land Registry Mapping
▪ Energy Audits
▪ Thermal Imaging
▪ Chartered Engineers reports
▪ Assigned Certifier

18. conclusions
▪ Know the minimum standards required to comply to part L
▪ Carried out at the outset means no changes required through
the build
▪ Produce specification document which is uploaded to BCAR
▪ Spec document can be used for tenders
▪ Getting it right first time
▪ Flexibility: we can adjust spec to suit client requirements.

19. Questions