BER guide · The rating scale · BER file 8 Sep 2026
What is a good BER rating? Only 8.1% of homes sold or let are B2 or better
A B or better is good. Only 20.1% of homes sold or let since 2019 rate a B or an A on today's scale, and 8.1% reach B2, the old line the national retrofit target still uses (SEAI BER file, 8 September 2026). The typical home is a C. A BER is a standard calculation, not your bill.
A 2000s estate. Most homes built between 1981 and 2010 are rated C.
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8.1%
Homes sold or let rated B2 or better
SEAI BER file 8 Sep 2026 · sale and letting 2019–26 · 265,846 certs · B2 ≤ 125 kWh/m²/yr
BER assessment20.1%
Rated B or A on today's scale
New scale: A ≤ 75, B ≤ 150 kWh/m²/yr
BER assessmentEnergy rating C
The middle home's letter
Median 208 kWh/m²/yr · a C is 150–225
BER assessment12.9%
Rated G, the bottom letter
G > 375 kWh/m²/yr · 7.8% on the old scale
BER assessmentUpdated · BER file · How we know · Corrections
Where this sits · the heat chain
A BER is a standard calculation across all four stages. Your bills also depend on how you live.
- Fabricwalls, roof, floor, windows
- Airdraughts and ventilation
- Heatheat pump or boiler, radiators, controls
- Usebills, comfort, the BER
- The idea behind itA BER is a standard calculation
- You are hereWhat is a good BER rating?
- Next questionHow do you get a house like yours to a B?
Where homes sold or let sit on today's scale
Every certificate issued for a sale or a letting since 2019, graded on the scale in force since 24 May 2026. BER assessment
Two in five homes sold or let are a C; one in five is a B or better
38.5% are a C. 20.1% are a B or an A, and 12.9% are a G.
- Energy rating A≤ 751.2%
- Energy rating B≤ 15018.9%
- Energy rating C≤ 225The middle home38.5%
- Energy rating D≤ 27513.7%
- Energy rating E≤ 3258.8%
- Energy rating F≤ 3755.9%
- Energy rating G> 37512.9%
Each row is the share of 265,846 BER certificates issued for a sale or a letting from 2019 to 8 Sep 2026 that fall in that letter on today's scale. A0, the new top letter, needs a home with no fossil fuel on site, which the rating alone can't show, so it is counted inside A. A home sold twice counts twice, and homes never sold or let are missing.
Sources: SEAI BER Research Tool, 8 Sep 2026
The numbers
| Letter | Share | Certificates |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1.2% | 3,248 |
| B | 18.9% | 50,300 |
| C | 38.5% | 102,432 |
| D | 13.7% | 36,347 |
| E | 8.8% | 23,466 |
| F | 5.9% | 15,771 |
| G | 12.9% | 34,282 |
The scale in force since 24 May 2026, line by line
| Letter | The CSO’s line | Share of homes sold or let |
|---|---|---|
| Energy rating A0 | A0 ≤ 42* | inside A |
| Energy rating A | A ≤ 75 | 1.2% |
| Energy rating B | B ≤ 150 | 18.9% |
| Energy rating C | C ≤ 225 | 38.5% |
| Energy rating D | D ≤ 275 | 13.7% |
| Energy rating E | E ≤ 325 | 8.8% |
| Energy rating F | F ≤ 375 | 5.9% |
| Energy rating G | G > 375 | 12.9% |
CSO, Domestic BERs Q2 2026, Table B, read 10 Oct 2026: kWh/m²/yr of primary energy · *A0 also needs zero fossil fuel on site · old-scale B2 = ≤ 125, inside today’s B
The lines for C and above did not move when the scale changed. A home that was a B1, B2 or B3 is a B today. Published figure
The energy thresholds between ratings is identical for ratings of C and above in both scales.
CSO, Domestic Building Energy Ratings Q2 2026, background notes, 10 Oct 2026
Don’t know a home’s letter? How to find a home’s BER
What counts as good depends on what you need the rating for
Four lines that matter to a homeowner, each set by someone else. SEAI rule
The line, who sets it, and how many homes sold or let make it
| If you want… | Good means | Homes sold or let that make it | Who says so |
|---|---|---|---|
| To sell or rent it out | Any letter: a valid certificate in the advert | — | S.I. 243/2012 |
| A One Stop Shop to do the whole house | A B after the works | 20.1% | SEAI |
| To count towards the national retrofit target | B2 (old scale), or as good | 8.1% | Climate Action Plan: 500,000 homes by 2030 |
| A heat pump grant without a heat-loss check | Not a letter: the heat loss figure on the same cert, 2.3 or less | 46.6% | SEAI |
Shares: SEAI BER file 8 Sep 2026, sale and letting 2019–26; heat loss: certificates from mid-2022 that carry the figure (161,297), HLI ≤ 2.3 · target: Climate Change Advisory Council, Annual Review 2026: Built Environment (29 Jul 2026)
A One Stop Shop job has to leave the home at a B. SEAI rule
Your home must achieve a minimum post works BER of B
SEAI One Stop Shop page, 8 Oct 2026
For a heat pump, SEAI looks at a different number on the same certificate. SEAI rule
You do not need one if your valid BER says your Heat Loss Indicator is equal to or less than 2.3 W/(K.m2).
SEAI heat pump systems page, 10 Oct 2026
Selling or renting needs a certificate, not a good one. SEAI rule
A BER certificate is compulsory for all homes available for rent or sale. This includes new buildings that have not been occupied.
SEAI, Find a BER, 8 Oct 2026
What is normal for a house of its age
The middle certificate's letter, by when the home was built. BER assessment
The middle home built before 1919 is an F; the middle home built since 2016 is an A
A C is the norm for homes built from the 1980s to 2010, and 36.8% of those built 2001–2010 already rate a B or better.
| Built | Middle letter | B or better | G | Certificates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1919 | Energy rating F | 9.5% | 43.8% | 83,654 |
| 1919–1945 | Energy rating E | 12.5% | 33.9% | 71,546 |
| 1946–1960 | Energy rating E | 14.8% | 25.3% | 76,379 |
| 1961–1970 | Energy rating D | 15.7% | 16.9% | 61,552 |
| 1971–1980 | Energy rating D | 16.1% | 10.0% | 127,859 |
| 1981–1990 | Energy rating C | 18.5% | 4.7% | 108,119 |
| 1991–2000 | Energy rating C | 22.3% | 2.5% | 185,545 |
| 2001–2010 | Energy rating C | 36.8% | 0.8% | 341,101 |
| 2011–2015 | Energy rating B | 93.0% | 0.2% | 7,974 |
| 2016 or later | Energy rating A | 97.9% | 0.0% | 13,385 |
Each row covers every existing-home certificate on SEAI's file for homes built in those years, 1,077,114 in all, issued for any reason from 2008 to 8 Sep 2026, graded on today's scale. The middle letter is the one the middle certificate falls in. Many of these certificates are years old, so homes upgraded since will rate better today.
Sources: SEAI BER Research Tool, 8 Sep 2026
New homes are built to an A. Published figure
All new dwellings are now A2 rated and electrical heating systems which are mainly renewable heat pumps are installed in nearly all new dwellings.
James Browne, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Dáil written answer, 21 May 2025
Ratings are rising, slowly
The share of homes sold or let rated B2 or better, by the year the certificate was issued. BER assessment
1 in 56 homes sold or let was B2 or better in 2012; 1 in 10 in 2025
The share rose from 1.8% to 10.3%, partly because the rating method changed.
Each bar is the share of that year's certificates for a sale or a letting rated B2 or better (the old line, 125 or less). Part of the rise is method, not work: the standard way of working out a BER changed in 2019 and in February 2023, and both made electric and heat pump homes rate better with nothing done. 2026 is left off because the file only runs to September.
Sources: SEAI BER Research Tool, 8 Sep 2026
The numbers
| Year | B2 or better | Certificates |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1.8% | 10,478 |
| 2013 | 2.0% | 32,617 |
| 2014 | 2.4% | 31,923 |
| 2015 | 2.3% | 28,322 |
| 2016 | 2.7% | 28,440 |
| 2017 | 2.9% | 30,514 |
| 2018 | 3.0% | 30,667 |
| 2019 | 4.6% | 31,346 |
| 2020 | 5.8% | 27,542 |
| 2021 | 6.7% | 34,180 |
| 2022 | 8.0% | 38,780 |
| 2023 | 8.8% | 36,966 |
| 2024 | 10.3% | 38,663 |
| 2025 | 10.3% | 38,699 |
Questions people ask
- Is B2 a good BER rating?
- Yes. B2 is the line Ireland's retrofit target uses, and only 8.1% of homes sold or let since 2019 reach it, about 1 in 12. Since 24 May 2026 new certificates no longer print B2: it sits inside today's B.
- Is a C BER rating good?
- It is ordinary. 38.5% of homes sold or let since 2019 are a C, more than any other letter, and the middle home is one. So is the middle home built from the 1980s to 2010.
- What BER do new houses get?
- An A, almost always. The Government told the Dáil in May 2025 that all new homes are now rated A and nearly all have a heat pump.
- Does a better BER mean lower bills?
- Usually, but not exactly. A BER prices the house with standard heating hours and a standard family. Your bills depend on how warm you keep it, how many live there and your tariff.
How we know
- Shares: SEAI's BER Research Tool, the file of 8 September 2026: 265,846 certificates issued for a sale or a letting from 2019. We grade each one on today's scale from its own rating. Certificates, not homes.
- The scale: The CSO's background notes to its Q2 2026 BER release, quoted line by line and checked against our saved copy.
- The lines: SEAI's One Stop Shop and heat pump pages and its Find a BER page, quoted word for word; the new-homes line is a Dáil written answer.
- A BER: A standard calculation by a registered assessor, not a meter reading. It describes the house, not how you live in it.
Sources
SEAI BER Research Tool, 8 Sep 2026 · CSO, Domestic Building Energy Ratings Q2 2026, background notes, 10 Oct 2026 · SEAI One Stop Shop, 8 Oct 2026 · SEAI, Find a BER, 8 Oct 2026 · Dáil written answer, 21 May 2025
Found a mistake? Every fix is dated on Corrections. Method in full: How we know.
See your grants and what you’d pay
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Updated · BER file · How we know · Corrections