Property Clinic

Your queries answered

Q We have recently bought a four-bedroom house which is approximately 20 years old. The house hasn’t been modernised very much and the insulation isn’t great, so it feels quite cold at night. I am afraid we are going to spend a fortune on heating bills. The BER (Building Energy Rating) is C2 but I’d like to know what, if anything, we can do to improve the heating situation in the house. We don’t really have a budget for works but are there any cost-effective tips you can recommend to improve the insulation and help keep the heating bills down?

A house built in the early 1990s attaining a C2 BER is unusually good and to achieve such a rating would suggest it was well designed and built.

C2 indicates that the house will use 175 to 200 Kilowatt hours per sq m per annum. So the total energy costs of a four-bedroom house of around 200 sq m would be around 40,000 Kw a year, or currently about €6,000 worth of energy per year. That’s for a house using only electricity, 24/7. Most people use a combination of electricity and oil or gas so their electricity bill will probably be a third of that.

The BER report will list the items that the assessor has taken into account when arriving at their rating, together with suggested areas for improvement on a cost against saving basis.

In your case you might consider what the most costly elements of your energy bill are. If the priority is heating water for baths and showers, then a solar thermal panel might prove cost effective. If it is keeping the house warm for an elderly person, for example, then insulation and heat source improvements might be key to keeping running costs down. The report will help you decide which is appropriate.

In most houses, the biggest energy cost is that of running the boiler. Grants are available to renew the boiler upgrade insulation or to change the fuel source if it is old or if gas has become available. The heating controls are often overlooked; make sure you are familiar with them, that they are easy to use and they actually give you effective control of your system. Other areas to consider are lighting and power for washing machines, fridges etc. Further advice on energy use is available from the list at the end of all BER reports.

The BER assessor is restricted to using default methods to report each house in order to achieve a national average. If you suspect use of excessive energy or you can’t reach comfortable levels, there may be an unreported problem that requires further investigation or you may not be using the heating system efficiently. To overcome this you should consider getting specialist help using a chartered building surveyor or a qualified energy consultant to advise what the best cost saving measures available are in your situation.

Fergus Merrimanis a chartered building surveyor and member of the Southern Regional Branch of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), scsi.ie

Q We have been renting a house for a couple of years and the boiler has been acting up. The landlord has sent someone out to fix it but my question is, who has the responsibility to service the boiler? And does it need to be done on an annual basis? The landlord said it was serviced before we moved in. Is there any danger to us if it is not serviced regularly?

A The obligations of the landlord and the tenant would normally be set out in the lease agreement for the property. In most cases the landlord will be liable for the maintenance and repair of items such as the boiler unless it is specifically stated in the lease conditions.

Perhaps you should refer to your lease agreement to check to see if the boiler has been included as one of the tenant’s responsibilities but seeing as your landlord sent somebody out to fix it this is most likely not the case.

It is recommended that all boilers are serviced regularly to maintain their efficiency and reliability.

There should not be an immediate danger to you if the burner hasn’t been regularly serviced. However, it may very well break down in cold weather and if you have no other heating source it could be very inconvenient and uncomfortable. Furthermore, the efficiency of the burner will be adversely affected and with the very high cost of fuel it could prove to be expensive.

If you feel the boiler still isn’t operating properly it might be worth your while notifying the landlord in writing so that you have a record of bringing the matter to the landlord’s attention. This will be helpful if you have to seek assistance from the Private Rented Tenancies Board to remedy the matter.

Terry O'Learyis a chartered surveyor and member of the South Eastern Regional Committee of the SCSI.

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This column is a readers’ service. Advice given is general and individual advice should always be sought