Individual home energy upgrade grants (Better Energy Homes)
- Introduction
- What individual grants are available to make my home more energy efficient?
- How much are the individual energy grants?
- Do I qualify for the grants?
- How do I access the grants?
- Managing the project yourself
- Using a company to manage the grant application and work
- Useful contacts
Introduction
There are grants available to improve the energy efficiency of your home. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administer these grants, which fall under 3 general schemes:
- Better Energy Homes Scheme: a scheme for homeowners and landlords who want to do certain energy upgrades and manage the process themselves.
- Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme: a scheme for people on low incomes that provides free home energy upgrades.
- National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme: a scheme for homeowners, landlords and approved housing bodies (AHBs) who want to bring their homes up to a BER rating of B2 or above using a private company to manage the project.
This page describes the first scheme, the Better Energy Homes Scheme.
How do I find out if my home would benefit from energy-saving work?
You can get a Building Energy Rating (BER) done in advance of any work. A BER assessor will rate the energy efficiency of your home and provide you with a report, which identifies areas that could be improved to increase the energy efficiency of your home. The SEAI has information on their website about the BER and how it works.
What individual grants are available to make my home more energy efficient?
Under this scheme, you can get a grant for:
- Attic insulation
- Wall insulation - including cavity wall, internal dry lining and external insulation
- Heating controls upgrade
- Solar thermal solutions
- Solar PV panels
- Heat pump systems (you can also get a grant for a technical assessment before you get a heat pump)
- A Building Energy Rating (BER) after the energy-saving work is carried out
How much are the individual energy grants?
On 8 February 2022, these home energy grants were increased. The table below shows the new grant amounts for each individual energy upgrade. The amount you get for each upgrade depends on the type of home you have. For example, the grant you get to insulate a detached house is more than the grant you get to insulate an apartment.
| Measure | Grant value |
| Attic insulation - Apartment - Mid-terrace house - Semi-detached or end of terrace house - Detached house |
€800 |
| Cavity wall insulation - Apartment - Mid-terrace house - Semi-detached or end of terrace house - Detached house |
€700 |
| Wall insulation - internal dry lining - Apartment - Mid-terrace house - Semi-detached or end of terrace house - Detached house |
€1,500 €2,000 €3,500 €4,500 |
| Wall insulation - external - Apartment - Mid-terrace house - Semi-detached or end of terrace house - Detached house |
€3,000 €3,500 €6,000 €8,000 |
| Heat pump systems Air to water, ground to water, exhaust air to water, water to water - Apartment - House
Technical assessment – needed before you apply for heat pump grant |
€4,500 €3,500 €200 |
| Heating controls upgrade | €700 |
| Solar water heating | €1,200 |
Solar PV panels |
€2,400 (max) |
| A BER assessment after works are done (maximum of one grant per home) | €50 |
If you are applying from certain offshore islands you may get additional grant support.
Do I qualify for the grants?
To qualify for a grant you must:
- Be the owner of a property built and occupied before 2011 for insulation and heating control systems
- Be the owner of a property built and occupied before 2021 for heat pumps and renewable systems such as, solar thermal and solar PV grants
- Use a contractor from the SEAI’s registered list
- Use newly fitted materials and products
- Have work done that meets the required standards
- Get a BER after the works are done using a BER assessor from SEAI’s National Register
How do I access the grants?
There are 2 ways to access these grants:
- Apply for the grants and manage the contractors and process yourself
- Use an SEAI registered company (Home Energy partner) to apply for the grants and manage the contractors
Note: You cannot use a Home Energy partner when applying for the Solar PV grant, you must do this yourself.
Managing the project yourself
If you decide to manage the upgrades to your home yourself, you will need to:
- Decide the energy upgrades you want to do
- Apply to the SEAI for the grants yourself
- Choose and pay a contractor from the SEAI’s registered list
- Get a final BER using a BER assessor from SEAI’s National Register
Applying for the grant
If you are managing the works yourself, you apply for the grants yourself. You can do this online or by post. If you are applying by post you can download the application form, or you can contact the SEAI to get an application form sent to you. Then complete the form and return it to the SEAI.
You will need the MPRN number from your electricity bill and the name of your SEAI-registered contractor when applying. Online applications get an immediate response. Postal applications should get a response within 5 working days. The SEAI publishes a detailed guide to help with your application (pdf).
There is a separate application process for the Solar PV energy upgrade, as this is a newer grant. See the SEAI website for specific information about how to apply for this grant.
The grants are paid after the work is completed and you have paid your contractor.
Choosing a contractor
Before choosing a contractor from the SEAI's registered list, the SEAI recommends that you:
- Ask friends, family, and neighbours who have done building work recently, for advice and recommendations on contractors
- Get a number of quotes and compare them
- Request and check the contractor’s references
- Formalise the relationship with your chosen contractor by drawing up a contract detailing the required works, prices, timescales, payment terms and warranties. The SEAI have a sample contract on their website.
Getting the work done safely
You must have grant approval before you buy materials or start any grant-funded work. If you have already started work, you will not be eligible for a grant. Once approved, you have 8 months to get the works done and claim the grant.
Under regulations governing safety, health and welfare at work, you must ensure that construction work on your home is carried out by competent people. Read more, including a guide for homeowners (pdf) and some Frequently Asked Questions, on the website of the Health and Safety Authority.
See the SEAI's Application Guide (pdf) for technical specificiations, as well as information on insurance, contracts, inspections, grant limits and how to apply. Your contractor must carry out the works in accordance with standards set out in the Contractor Code of Practice and Technical Specification (pdf) and the Domestic Technical Standards and Specifications (pdf).
Using a company to manage the grant application and work
You can use a company to apply for the grants and organise the contractors for you. These companies are called Energy Partners. They are registered with the SEAI and are authorised to do the work on your home and submit grant applications for you.
The grant is paid directly to the Energy Partner and they take this off the cost of the work. Some of these companies also provide finance options so you have different ways to pay for the outstanding cost of the works.