There was a rush on BER assessor courses in Ireland in the past year, as new legislation came in compelling property owners to have premises rated prior to when they were sold, leased or let. So, how much should one of these courses cost?
Following a recent survey on BER course prices reported that the cost of a Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI)-approved five day course is dropping substantially versus this time last year. The laws of supply and demand are driving costs down, with an increased number of course providers and a reduced number of course attendees seeking places.
The survey of the market place showed us that some providers are still offering the course at highly inflated prices of approximately €1950 trying to milk the last cent out of the unwary person booking the course. The higher priced course providers will offer discounts only when pushed! Others were providing the same course for just €1450 without any negotiation. If booking in bulk it is worth asking your training provider for a discount.
It is definitely worth doing some research on costs and quality of the various costs. There has never been a better time to get good value when doing a course, but at the same time the age old rules of caviat emptor (or let the buyer beware) apply. So the message when selecting a BER training provider is, shop around and do your research on who the training provider is.