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1.If I have already passed the New Dwellings course, what additional training is required to do existing dwellings?

SEI has advised that those who have successfully completed a BER training programme for new dwellings will not have to complete mandatory additional training on existing dwellings. (That said, in most cases it would generally be advisable to undergo a separate module to fully understand the methodology for assessing existing dwellings.)

2.I have done no training so far. What training do I need to do to qualify as a BER Assessor?

SEI's revised BER Training Specification (and the associated FETAC and HETAC training specifications) has now come into effect as the revised DEAP 3.0.1 software and the assessment methodology for existing dwellings are available.

Those wishing to become Building Energy Rating Assessors who undertake training for the first time from mid November 2008 approx.onwards will undergo training and be examined according to the new FETAC D30189 specification covering new and existing dwellings. To successfully pass the examination process, candidates must achieve a minimum mark of 70%.

Having successfully completed their BER Assessor training programme, those wishing to register as BER Assessors with SEI must then undertake the SEI BER National Assessor examination. The SEI BER Assessor National Examination consists of an online examination taken at selected centres (often these are driver test centres). The exam will consist of 50 questions randomly from a bank of questions and will last 120 minutes. Again, candidates must achieve a minimum mark of 70% in order to pass the SEI BER National Assessor exam.

Once students have passed the FETAC D30189 course and received their FETAC certificate, they can proceed to register with SEI as BER assessors. As for all assessors, candidates must then undertake and pass the SEI BER National Assessor examination.

3.With the implementation of the EPBD, how many building energy rating assessors will be needed and what training will be needed?

The EPBD Working Group's action plan indicated that up to 2,000 trained assessors would be required for the housing sector.

By end January 2010 , there were over 1,986 registered assessors for dwellings. A total of 6,893 people (including those registered) have successfully completed BER Assessor training for dwellings.