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This release was compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of non-domestic BER audits performed in April-June 2020 have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For further information please see the SEAI website.

Extra information
Methodology Previous Releases
International comparison:
See also:
YouTube Video
For more information on this release:
E-mail: environment@cso.ie Dympna Corry Berna Lawlor
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-9304
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Non-Domestic Building Energy Ratings

Quarter 4 2020

Table A: Number of Non-Domestic BER certificates
number 
Period20162017201820192020% change 2020/2019
Quarter 11,5991,5731,3051,047955-9%
Quarter 21,9091,4471,2151,095444-59%
Quarter 31,8311,5351,1311,070879-18%
Quarter 41,6061,6081,0091,0331,016-2%

Non-domestic BER audits in Quarter 4 were 2% lower than in 2019

Figure 1: Number of Non-Domestic BER Certificates published in 2018-2020
go to full release

There were 1,016 Building Energy Rating (BER) audits reported in quarter four 2020 compared with 1,033 in quarter four 2019. This is a decrease of 2% (see Table A and Information Note). There was an increase in the number of non-domestic BER audits reported in December 2020 when the number of completed audits was 22% above the number in December 2019 (see Table 1 and Figure 1).

BER audits were conducted for 1,623 non-domestic buildings constructed between 2015 and 2020 (see Table 13). Over one fifth (21%) of these buildings received an “A” rating compared with 8% of non-domestic buildings constructed during 2010 to 2014 (see Figure 4). In contrast, 97% of domestic dwellings constructed between 2015-2020 received an "A" rating (separate CSO release). 

There were 62,423 non-domestic BER audits conducted in the period 2009 to 2020 (see Table 1). The profile of non-domestic BER audits conducted since 2009 was 1% awarded an "A" rating, 14% a "B" rating, and 34% with a “C” rating (see Table 3).

The most energy efficient building types audited during 2009-2020 were Schools and colleges with 26% awarded an “A” rating (see Table 3). The second most energy efficient buildings were Nursing residential homes and hostels and Hospitals and primary health care with 8% rated “A”. The least energy efficient building types, defined by a “G” rating, were Workshops and maintenance depots (23%) followed by Other Buildings (20%) (see Figure 3).

The highest proportion of combined “A” and “B” ratings was in County Carlow at 21% (see Table 4). Kilkenny had the highest proportion of “G” rated buildings at 18% (see Table 4).

In Dublin city, Dublin 15 had the highest proportion of combined “A” and “B” ratings at 25% followed by 19% for Dublin 18 (see Table 5). The highest proportion of “G” ratings was 18% in Dublin 6W and Dublin 8 (see Table 5).

The average floor area of all audited non-domestic dwellings was 686 square metres (see Table 10). This average size varied from 3,240 square metres for hotels to 293 square metres for Restaurants and public houses.

BER certificates expire after ten years unless a new audit has been undertaken. This means that many of the 2009 certificates expired in 2019. The CSO has included these expired certificates in this release. The period of construction is not yet available for audits undertaken in 2020. This information will be added when it becomes available.

BER Ratings
A0.91
B11.2
B22.675
B34.609
C17.355
C27.209
C35.871
D17.347
D25.594
E13.817
E22.975
F3.988
G7.647
ABCDEFG
Retail11439179613
Office19302413814
Restaurant/public house0730351764
Hotel1194224843
Warehouses017332010614
Workshops/maintenance depot092322141023
Industrial process building3342716939
Hospitals and primary health care816242013811
Community/day centre5273016859
Nursing residential homes and hostels8413014412
Schools and colleges26282015524
Sports facilities3302917768
Other418221611820
ABCDEFG
1900-197706292716913
1978-1999012372312710
2000-20040164319848
2005-200912036167516
2010-20148292815748
2015-2020213518104211
Table 1 BER Certificates (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
number
Period200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020Total
January451941501934445906343993393632622833,896
February1473261661569466217435535364753623695,400
March2072282012248487408076476984674233035,793
April1652301621788617966336654543743581255,001
May2401892012047888826616475314564101025,311
June3481841981637668576865974623853272175,190
July4081931902437528415955614873933622785,303
August2662871732135757855635874533533592314,845
September2652212182456939986736835953853493705,695
October2362042072898638826826406203514013355,710
November3073032233287139645725305123893453325,518
December3371932113095748534674364762692873494,761
              
Total2,9712,7522,3002,7458,8239,8097,7166,9456,1634,6604,2453,29462,423
Table 2 BERs by Year (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
number
YearEnergy Rating Total
AB1B2B3C1C2C3D1D2E1E2FG
200932120252405450373284285226106851441302,892
201024661892753493592883082071271221321742,620
20115070124213297240216271164111941291502,129
201240541172083803352883242511721261572562,708
2013511283645911,1511,1318761,0398175043635501,1618,726
2014491253186741,2261,1489051,2069136215176651,3499,716
2015841322655229369227218836964994035181,0377,618
2016901072424807718006388406254823764829146,847
20171011162624186676655987825753972983987856,062
20181111102253304715304485264393262192995414,575
201997992183024214243275374022801982675704,142
202018173991912362822823462791921742475803,162
               
Total9101,2002,6754,6097,3557,2095,8717,3475,5943,8172,9753,9887,64761,197
Table 3 BERs by Type of Building (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row 
Building TypeEnergy Rating Total
AB1B2B3C1C2C3D1D2E1E2FG
Retail1149161491075461323,309
Office12358111113117681414,007
Restaurant/public house0124811111916116645,726
Hotel13791414131495343869
Warehouses026912129118556148,211
Workshops/maintenance depot01367881398610232,367
Industrial process building3121210129610544391,307
Hospitals and primary health care8466888119768111,100
Community/day centre541111121089754591,065
Nursing residential homes and hostels810151614106773112552
Schools and colleges26108108769632241,023
Sports facilities361112121081085268514
Other45671075106568201,147
               
Total12481212101296571261,197
Table 4 BERs by County (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row    
CountyEnergy Rating Total
AB1B2B3C1C2C3D1D2E1E2FG
Carlow137101513910654313808
Dublin 01-24124711121013107561216,846
Dublin County2248141210129556114,346
Kildare3259121210108556132,476
Kilkenny13881310810954418941
Laois225111012711885417721
Longford12571212910876911470
Louth124511128138658151,715
Meath2269121210118555132,044
Offaly127911111112855611745
Westmeath1268151381210555111,302
Wexford213711139119668141,669
Wicklow2351012119128657111,792
Clare1247111191212658121,657
Cork City114611139111274714560
Cork County1248131310129647115,456
Kerry124914139109647121,504
Limerick City11241112714975915498
Limerick County114812129139667122,177
Tipperary124815119119767111,698
Waterford City00381413101198589727
Waterford County22681211912866515923
Galway City115510131212976613675
Galway County22581111101110657133,077
Leitrim21511119191264910312
Mayo125812139129756141,591
Roscommon113681091310941016640
Sligo114614109111174716925
Cavan11471212812986714745
Donegal135810119149756111,574
Monaghan1349119911786715583
               
Total12481212101296571261,197
– No non-domestic unit received this BER in this county
Table 5 BERs by Dublin Postal District (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row 
Dublin Postal DistrictEnergy Rating Total
AB1B2B3C1C2C3D1D2E1E2FG
Dublin 1112611991411748171,545
Dublin 22245911101311768122,495
Dublin 302267141115775916436
Dublin 4255681012141176511745
Dublin 522281312912675617329
Dublin 611469891012871013486
Dublin 6W123713614101071018241
Dublin 71334101211131175615763
Dublin 8224410810139867181,052
Dublin 911581412121477469672
Dublin 10124771511111197510246
Dublin 112158111310111194510803
Dublin 1201351111111610757121,439
Dublin 13231013121091079410224
Dublin 14025714139131153611511
Dublin 152361416151011743371,247
Dublin 16004612149121463613210
Dublin 1712481611141286548428
Dublin 1815581013111586449909
Dublin 2011551210913105961378
Dublin 22116815151112104448689
Dublin 242238151210129534121,297
               
Total124711121013107561216,845
– No non-domestic unit received this BER in this Dublin postal district
Table 6 BERs by Main Space Heating System Fuel (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row 
Heating System FuelEnergy Rating Total
AB1B2B3C1C2C3D1D2E1E2FG
Mains Gas3379121081086441516,322
Heating Oil1258121211161275446,177
Electricity11361213101296581336,913
LPG5512131511910743321,113
Other Fuels4649710711976814672
               
Total12481212101296571261,197
Table 7 Main Space Heating System Fuel by County (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row 
CountyHeating System FuelTotal
Mains GasHeating OilElectricityLPGOther
Carlow27105921808
Dublin 01-24394560116,846
Dublin County36558014,346
Kildare27863112,476
Kilkenny26145532941
Laois24165712721
Longford13216051470
Louth30860111,715
Meath291157112,044
Offaly17186132745
Westmeath191660411,302
Wexford111666621,669
Wicklow27962111,792
Clare211858211,657
Cork City313641560
Cork County25864215,456
Kerry91666621,504
Limerick City272710498
Limerick County251062112,177
Tipperary191959221,698
Waterford City3156122727
Waterford County23106232923
Galway City1168110675
Galway County121470313,077
Leitrim7256342312
Mayo92066411,591
Roscommon12226042640
Sligo9196651925
Cavan14205782745
Donegal122754621,574
Monaghan15205743583
       
Total2710602161,197
– No non-domestic unit indicated the usage of this main space heating fuel type for this county
Table 8 Main Space Heating System Fuel by Type of Building (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row 
Building TypeHeating System FuelTotal
Mains GasHeating OilElectricityLPGOther
Retail184761123,309
Office317601114,007
Restaurant/public house282441425,726
Hotel463012111869
Warehouses331054218,211
Workshops/maintenance depot281454312,367
Industrial process building302537441,307
Hospitals and primary health care321253211,100
Community/day centre362633411,065
Nursing residential homes and hostels413113132552
Schools and colleges422525621,023
Sports facilities41104261514
Other331250421,147
       
Total2710602161,197
Table 9 Main Ventilation System by Type of Building (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row 
Building TypeMain Ventilation SystemTotal
Air ConditioningMechanical VentilationNatural Ventilation
Retail4654823,309
Office3565914,007
Restaurant/public house3411555,726
Hotel26866869
Warehouses156798,211
Workshops/maintenance depot165792,367
Industrial process building2012671,307
Hospitals and primary health care227711,100
Community/day centre86861,065
Nursing residential homes and hostels2692552
Schools and colleges98831,023
Sports facilities291556514
Other187751,147
     
Total3476061,197
Table 10 Average Floor Area by Type of Building and County (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
              m2
CountyRetailOfficeRestaurant/ public houseHotelWarehousesWorkshops/ maintenance depotIndustrial process buildingHospitals and primary health careCommunity/ day centreNursing residential homes and hostelsSchools and collegesSports facilitiesOtherAll building types
Carlow4203363582,2998266893,0332212151,2891,656680921586
Dublin 01-243621,1903243,9281,3445733,0556613821,8562,3831,312805922
Dublin County2885373354,7701,4651,1083,7044604342,8812,6639811,219705
Kildare2293613584,4261,0536017,0826642732,3261,4361,391470613
Kilkenny2682772692,6361,1637631,4543232401,4791,544479244492
Laois3022472785,7958875333,8355892351,6852,4421,7351,332558
Longford3682572801,1401,2426595,8654243872,0199133,777284659
Louth2946293124,6951,4596024,3245621941,8621,2571,625864707
Meath2363983054,3091,1895082,2555522801,5131,4559783,718644
Offaly2854672261,8288706471,6387733071,5852,469371248545
Westmeath3025452442,1331,4036183,2151,1172429981,816997591591
Wexford3105042742,7638406242,2384393641,2051,509678706534
Wicklow2132962803,3766244391,9776573321,8491,982774290484
Clare2165132852,2319424252,9093052536001,084503518613
Cork City3787972021,7221,1844082,8011681551,001790533586
Cork County2966912693,2259954783,1225223181,5021,709812637607
Kerry2722652732,4116823102,926561311885999938331489
Limerick City2494452687,6301,0013951,4544244751,5211,3416772,481527
Limerick County2944632934,3471,1294683,2018134181,8712,1997941,256670
Tipperary2993902522,1831,4354354,0625283481,315991654271623
Waterford City3084633333,7857636812,297159659931624342747538
Waterford County6003302853,1171,1696732,5491,2561541,1801,1127641,114780
Galway City2733232064,0505952983,3162856561,4902,677447512495
Galway County2974252723,3091,0734862,0043932921,9851,684909639605
Leitrim2157362711,2805656914772,9053761,364965108440
Mayo2642752763,3328716172,1108863241,5914941,041479483
Roscommon2743862531,8898115233,8876824331,4051,243634952475
Sligo3193962881,2229304523,3241,0372931,2511,198665795543
Cavan2233572421,9646484032,7983423482,993935621353426
Donegal2503973242,4061,2234922,6614914229681,040776535558
Monaghan3181623654,5741,1216401,9281354591,4921,852946880618
               
All3057502933,2401,1615732,9525763381,6411,7401,011793686
– No data is available for this building type and county
Table 11 Average Primary Energy Use by Type of Building and County (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
kWh/m2/year
CountyRetailOfficeRestaurant/ public houseHotelWarehousesWorkshops/ maintenance depotIndustrial process buildingHospitals and primary health careCommunity/ day centreNursing residential homes and hostelsSchools and collegesSports facilitiesOtherAll building types
Carlow1,322516830685730835984457449395136644681877
Dublin 01-241,0794481,0345714357136623764983943231,184908567
Dublin County1,0534941,0266223236477453784213601501,047658561
Kildare1,1697099069054727767022603534461948871,066717
Kilkenny1,1748828655644435626584284204301801,399728725
Laois1,5428419445014738479022564234061271,161925870
Longford1,3119611,074639512888808347751314201581753830
Louth1,099516959631578757804370514381107811645704
Meath1,2154869896145929315732643434521661,384279660
Offaly9084289435575748616071914394231511,064615620
Westmeath1,0736529857325501,297625345462347140667823725
Wexford1,6174571,0098356009174575629896151491,196964859
Wicklow1,0116181,004696399631554311390421137863753616
Clare1,0976799276595727566381,1515496204331,319796713
Cork City1,4006799635366008431,010623363276972636872
Cork County1,0694479826635206125215005355521721,006686634
Kerry1,024738949638608773853339391464228673750752
Limerick City1,0651,4031,048502711782835404375944174766291891
Limerick County1,1147661,018651719647923411384353194829617781
Tipperary993621915730490907755242612381255932777716
Waterford City1,2335679927453866376964863814293611,1921,036729
Waterford County1,2955971,122728643949504349781370226867278839
Galway City1,1266641,1964857377398773183322681371,074919762
Galway County1,233702908583808701696340371328156863668757
Leitrim98782486585197587061875411481154664786
Mayo1,1138559086385226946672253063703435942,364779
Roscommon1,8814881,0856736866246563067054371501,157638953
Sligo1,4888849355929376447853174355932351,197716951
Cavan1,0266121,026654666641712352675440254762820731
Donegal1,054606984648732785591347373556188732649723
Monaghan9786128597434581,222589575339350212946224677
               
All1,144505983638506735687372482418224990737661
– No data is available for this building type and county
Table 12 Average Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Type of Building and County (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
kgCO2/m2/year
CountyRetailOfficeRestaurant/ public houseHotelWarehousesWorkshops/ maintenance depotIndustrial process buildingHospitals and primary health careCommunity/ day centreNursing residential homes and hostelsSchools and collegesSports facilitiesOtherAll building types
Carlow3121201911531721922301031008428145156205
Dublin 01-2425210123512599163151851118272257210129
Dublin County2461122341397314216682927532229149127
Kildare27416420820410918016458809942191249166
Kilkenny276203203120102130155969210139328173168
Laois36519722311011119721255979228227209203
Longford309228254144121202191811787346124166194
Louth257116222143133173186821157923183149162
Meath2851122301341382181325976993831162152
Offaly214100222123133204145421039735250143145
Westmeath253152232167128305147801047331155186169
Wexford38310623719414121810813123314535220221202
Wicklow2331412321609114812870879530190172141
Clare258159217151133173144264128141101313186165
Cork City3131582191151361912081438062215142196
Cork County25110322714611914212111512411838214158146
Kerry241174223145143182203798810754157177176
Limerick City25133024210716618618593832253818264207
Limerick County26217723613716715121791887745192141181
Tipperary233144214163115209178551448860216186167
Waterford City28812922716690146150110779078275230167
Waterford County30613926315314921711577176794919063195
Galway City26615728111117317520975756430232209179
Galway County28716621313219116516177857335196153176
Leitrim23419520320423319714789711234148186
Mayo26220121514912416615751718082128558183
Roscommon4451122561541621491586417110133264148224
Sligo3522082211392211471867410214156234162224
Cavan242145242151156148161811597960181182170
Donegal24914323215317318213480899443173149169
Monaghan22914520317010428913213878823819938155
               
All268115228143117169159841109150217170152
– No data is available for this building type and county
Table 13 BERs by Period of Construction (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row 
Period of ConstructionEnergy Rating Total
AB1B2B3C1C2C3D1D2E1E2FG
1900-19290013891016139710126,720
1930-19490024101291511878131,607
1950-196601251010101312978143,064
1967-197701351012101311868133,323
1978-198202251011111310969132,788
1983-19930137131291310767125,134
1994-1999014916151114964565,146
2000-20040151016151211853487,916
2005-20091271114139974351614,537
2010-2014891011119810534482,114
2015-2020211511976554222111,623
               
Total12581312101296561253,972
Table 14 Main Space Heating System Fuel by Period of Construction (Non-Domestic) 2009-2020
% of row  
Period of ConstructionFuel TypeTotal
Mains GasHeating OilElectricityLPGOther
1900-1929191662226,720
1930-1949191662211,607
1950-1966231758113,064
1967-1977251953213,323
1978-1982241757212,788
1983-1993241064115,134
1994-199927863115,146
2000-200428565207,916
2005-2009315622114,537
2010-2014311351422,114
2015-202045742511,623
       
Total2710612153,972

Background Notes

Non-Domestic Building Energy Ratings

Introduction

The European Union Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) contains a range of provisions to improve the energy performance of new and existing buildings. The EPBD obliges specific forms of information and advice on energy performance to be provided to building purchasers, tenants and users for consideration in property transactions. A Building Energy Rating (BER) is an indication of the energy performance of a building represented in units of kWh/m2/year. A BER is based on the characteristics of major components of the building. The BER certificate indicates the annual primary energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions associated with the provision of space heating, water heating, ventilation, lighting, and associated pumps and fans. The average annual primary energy use figures and carbon dioxide emissions are not based on actual energy use and emissions data.

These Background notes provide a very general overview together with some specific information on the detailed tables in the release. The SEAI website should be consulted for detailed information on the non-domestic energy assessment procedure (NEAP), see http://www.seai.ie/Your_Building/BER/Non_Domestic_buildings/Non_domestic_Energy_Assessment_Procedure_NEAP_/

Revisions

The figures in this release will be updated on a quarterly basis. Changes to data for the previous quarters will arise mainly from some buildings having another BER audit undertaken and the previous certificate being marked as expired. The difference in the number of BER certificates included in Tables 1 and 2 gives an indication of the number of buildings that have had more than one BER audit undertaken.

Coverage

Full site surveys have to be carried out for New-final and Existing building assessments. New-provisional ratings do not require a site survey as the assessment is done based on design stage plans – new provisional ratings have been excluded from this release. Some buildings are excluded from the EPBD requirements: national monuments; protected structures; places of worship; temporary buildings; industrial and agricultural buildings not intended for occupancy and below a specified installed heating capacity; and buildings with a total useful floor area of less than 50 square metres. Short-term lettings are not exempt.

A BER for new non-domestic buildings was introduced in July 2008 and for renting of existing non-domestic buildings in January 2009. New regulations came into effect in January 2013 requiring the inclusion of BER information in property sale and rental advertisements.

National representativeness

The data have not been adjusted to represent all non-domestic buildings in the State and hence the tables only represent buildings that have been assessed.

Definitions

The BER rating scale is divided into categories from G (largest primary energy usage) to an A1 rating (lowest primary energy usage). Energy consumption is expressed in kWh per square metre of floor area of the building per year (kWh/m2/year) and CO2 emissions are expressed in kilograms of carbon dioxide per square metre per year (kgCO2/m2/year). For the purposes of this release A1, A2, and A3 have been combined because of the small number of certificates in these categories. The certificate is valid for 10 years unless changes are made to the building.


Table Notes

Table 1 presents the number of BERs published by month since January 2009. A premises that has had BERs conducted in different years is included in each year. This table gives an overview of the number of BER assessments being performed each month.

Tables 2-14 only include the latest BER published for each building i.e. the BER is on the public register - the number is lower than the total in Table 1 because replaced certificates have been excluded.

Table 2 shows the number of BER certificates by energy rating and year.

Table 3 classifies the number of BER certificates by energy rating and building type. This relates to the current building use and it is displayed on the BER certificate. Some building types have been combined for the purposes of this release e.g. schools and colleges.

Tables 4-5 profile Building Energy Ratings by county and Dublin postal district. Table 4 is in county within province order.

Table 6 profiles Building Energy Ratings by type of main space heating system fuel. The heating system fuel options are: Mains gas; Heating Oil; Electricity; LPG; Biogas; Oil; Coal; Biomass; Waste heat; Anthracite; Smokeless fuel; Dual fuel appliances; and Other. Categories with only a small number of responses have been amalgamated in Table 6.

Tables 7-8 cross-classify main space heating system fuel by county and building type.

Table 9 cross-classifies main ventilation system by building type.

Table 10 shows the average floor area by building type and county.

Tables 11-12 show the average primary energy use and average carbon dioxide figures by building type and county.

Table 13 shows the relationship between period of construction and building energy ratings. It can be linked with changes to the Building Regulations that require new buildings to be more energy efficient.

Table 14 cross-classifies main space heating fuel by period of construction.

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