Wednesday, 13 January 2016

Saving Energy Starts With BER

When we decided to buy our first home, all we thought is that it should only look beautiful inside and out.  We easily fell in love with a bungalow in the suburbs as it brings us happiness thinking that we are living in the countryside.

Thinking that the location is free from traffic, we can do biking during weekends, makes it a perfect spot for the family.  We started asking for private properties to lessen the cost of the agency fee.  My husband and I spent afternoons scouting for our dream house.

From the five owners that we meet, only one of the proudly presented a BER Certificate.  Curious on what it is, one afternoon, we stopped searching for a new prospective house, we passed in the local assessor office to understand what is this BER and what is its importance.

BER explained

A young engineer happily explained to us that BER Certificateis not just a trend, but it is a legal document everyone must have especially if there is an intention of renting or selling the property.  BER stands for Building Energy Rating that defines the overall energy efficiency of a dwelling be it commercial or residential.  He showed us that BER Certificates are like the energy label like most appliances have.  It comes from A-G standards, making A as the most efficient.  Not all owners secure this document for their house.  Better be safe than sorry in buying our dream home.



House agents

After tedious research, though it may mean an addition to the budget cost, we sought the help of one trusted agent.  Upon meeting, we clearly stated what we want in a house and giving great importance to the status of energy efficiency and BER Certificate validity.  As BER Certificate is valid only for ten years, we are interested in buying a house with the latest BER Certificate and the one that fits our need.


Just weeks after consulting the agent, he presented us with five different houses, all with BER Certificates.  Now, we are starting to pack and will transfer to our new energy efficient love nest.


No comments:

Post a Comment