A new course in the Building Energy Rating (BER ) of dwellings will commence at Athlone Institute of Technology later this month. The seven-day programme covers new and existing buildings and on successful completion of the modules, candidates are eligible to seek registration with Sustainable Energy Ireland as BER assessors.
The course is offered as two modules and will run over a number of months. The first module, which is introductory and covers aspects of new dwellings, runs for three days, commencing on Wednesday April 29. Applicants who have already successfully completed an approved course on BER of new dwellings will be considered for exemptions from Module 1. The second module covers aspects of existing dwellings and consists of four taught days, beginning on Thursday May 21. The cost of the modules is €850 and €1,000 respectively.
A BER is required for all new houses, and since January all existing houses that are being sold or let also require an energy label. The energy label has a scale of A-G, with A-rated homes the most energy efficient and G the least efficient.
Anyone who wishes to become an energy rating assessor in Ireland must successfully complete a validated BER training course, such as that offered by AIT.
The minimum entry requirements for admission to AIT’s BER course is an approved Level 6 (higher or national certificate ) qualification in civil or construction engineering or related discipline, together with a minimum of two years’ relevant experience. The following categories of work experience will be considered: energy rating, engineering reports, building control, fire audits, structural design, architectural design, quantity surveying and site manager (housing ).
To obtain further information about the BER of dwellings course, applicants should contact the Admissions Office at AIT on (090 ) 6424695 or by email to [email protected].