Better Energy Homes and Solar PV Grants
For a fast turnaround, manage your own home energy upgrade from planning to grant applications. Follow our easy step by step approach to applying for a grant.
Why manage your energy upgrades
Homeowners and private landlords often choose to manage their own home energy upgrades. This gives them the flexibility to take a step-by-step approach, carrying out different upgrades over time and to suit their budgets. With this grant route, applicants select an SEAI registered contractor and apply for a grant through our easy-to-use online application system. The grant is paid directly to the applicant or the contractor; once works have been completed and the Request for Payment form, and Declaration of Works forms have been completed and submitted.
If you are considering one or more energy upgrades, this is a good route to take. Check if your home meets the eligibility criteria and then follow the step-by-step process on how to apply for the grant on your preferred home energy upgrade(s).
Please note that grants for windows and doors are not available under the Individual Energy Upgrades option but are available as part of the One Stop Shop service. There is no grant funding for replacement oil or gas boilers.
Grants for Island Homeowners. Specific island homeowners are entitled to additional grant support. A list of eligible islands can be found list of eligible islands.
Individual Energy Upgrades offer more flexibility to carry out home energy upgrades in a step-by-step approach. Explore SEAI fixed grant amounts and median costs per energy upgrade, for your house type below.
Median costs of individual energy upgradesApplications from Owners’ Management Companies
Owners’ Management Companies (OMC) may avail of SEAI grants.
OMC refers to a legal entity formed by the owners of apartments or units within a multi-unit development, such as a housing estate or apartment complex.
- The purpose of an OMC is to collectively manage and maintain the common areas and shared facilities of the development.
Before applying for a grant on behalf of an OMC, contact [email protected]. Further information on OMCs and the Multi Unit Developments Act is available from Citizens information.
Grants available
If you choose to manage the upgrade yourself, the following grants are available to eligible homes. You must have grant approval in place before you start works. Please note that grants for windows and doors are not available under the Better Energy Homes scheme.
FAQs from Homeowners/Applicants
1.1 - What information do I need in order to apply for a grant?
- To apply for a grant you will need the following:
- Your property's MPRN (meter point reference number). This unique 11-digit number can be found in the top right-hand corner of your electricity bill.
- Your dwelling type (eg. apartment, detached, mid-terrace, etc.)
- The grants you wish to apply for
- Your contractor selected (must be on the list of registered SEAI contractors)
- Year home built and occupied
- If applying for a Heat Pump, a Technical Assessment may be needed, see 'Do I have to do a lot of work to my home before I can install a Heat Pump and get a grant?' below for further details.
1.2 I can't get my application finished in 8 months. Can you extend the application period?
- Yes, we can accommodate extensions in certain cases. Contact us prior to grant expiry if you require additional time to complete the works.
2.1 - How can I check if my property is eligible for a grant?
- Go to SEAI BEH - Apply for Grant
- Enter your:
- Property's MPRN (meter point reference number). This number can be found in the top right-hand corner of your electricity bill.
- Dwelling Type
- Year home built
- Application Type
2.2 - Can I get a grant for windows and doors?
- Grants for windows and doors are available under our One Stop Shop (OSS) programme provided that:
- A range of retrofitting measures is installed.
- Your home has an existing BER of B3 or lower.
- A minimum rating of B2 on work completion is achieved.
- See One Stop Shop Services for further details.
- Grants for windows and doors are not available through the Better Energy Homes scheme.
2.3 - Is there a grant for boilers?
- SEAI supports heating controls to help reduce your carbon footprint. The grant for this is €700 which you can avail of with or without the installation of a high efficiency boiler.
- SEAI does not give grants for fossil fuel boilers such as gas or oil boilers.
2.4 - Do I have to do a lot of work to my home before I can install a Heat Pump and get a grant?
- To qualify for a Heat Pump grant your home needs to have sufficiently low heat loss.
- While some homes are ready for the installation of a Heat Pump others may require some increased insulation.
- Some of the measures that can help achieve this are insulation upgrades such as roof and wall insulation. The pre-installation heat loss requirements for your home will depend on the year your home was constructed.
- Pre-2007 built homes: A Technical Assessment must be carried out by a registered Technical Advisor (there is a €200 grant towards the cost) and any identified fabric upgrades are mandatory to complete.
This allows:
- To ensure your home meets the required heat loss indicator.
- Your Heat Pump system to perform efficiently and effectively.
- Post-2007 built homes: A Technical Assessment is not mandatory to complete due to the heat loss in the original building fabric. Homeowners have the option of completing a Self-Declaration form or a Technical Assessment. One of these documents must be uploaded as part of the Heat Pump Grant application.
- Find more information on this process on the SEAI Heat Pump System Grant webpage.
2.5 - What are traditional buildings?
Traditional buildings have the following features:
- This type of construction was used for the majority of buildings constructed in Ireland before 1940.
- Solid masonry walls (brick or stone, often with a render finish) - i.e. no cavity
- Single-glazed timber or metal windows
- Timber-framed roofs with slate or tiles, sometimes thatch or metal
- Flexible and 'breathable' construction
- No damp-proof course
2.6 - Are there grants available for pre-1940 buildings and for heritage buildings?
Grants are available for traditional homes, including pre-1940 and heritage buildings for the following measures:
- Roof
- Heating controls
- Solar thermal
- Solar Electricity (refer to Solar Electricity PV Grants for further details)
However, we would strongly recommend you get specialised advice before carrying out any works on these types of buildings, with particular regard to walls.
They may require specific types of insulation materials so as not to affect the breathability of the building.
Please see Energy Effeciency in Traditional Buildings and Improving Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings for further details.
3.1 - What is the average payment schedule for grants? When will I get paid?
- Currently, the time for grant payments is 4-6 weeks after all documentation is correctly completed and submitted.
- If your home is inspected and reworks are necessary, your contractor will need to make a return visit to bring the works to the required standard. This will impact payment timeframes.
3.2 - How do I get a contractor?
- To avail of a grant you must use an SEAI registered contractor.
- You can find an SEAI registered contractor at SEAI BEH - Contractor Search.
3.3 - What is SEAI's role in relation to contractors?
- Contractors are registered by SEAI on the basis of:
- Adhering to SEAI's technical standards and code of practice
- Tax compliance
- Insurance cover
- Having a standard contract in place with the homeowner for all works
- SEAI does not provide a guarantee, warranty, or approve a company's or the contractor's works. Any dispute must be resolved between the homeowner and contractor.
4.1 - How can I ensure my appointed contractor will do a good job?
- Select an SEAI registered contractor.
- Ensure your contractor is registered for the type of work that they are carrying out, eg. if a contractor is registered for wall insulation only, they can't be used for grant aided works for roof insulation.
- Shop around to get the best quote.
- Check references, talk to previous customers.
- Have a written contract with the contractor which details the works, prices, time, payment terms and warranties.
- Follow guidelines as per Homeowner Application Guide.
4.2 - What documentation does my contractor have to provide me with in terms of a potential inspection for a Heat Pump?
- After the Heat Pump installation make sure your contractor provides you with:
Declaration of Works Form
Supporting Documents for Heat Pump
- Completed in all parts
- Ecodesign datasheet
- Completed Designer/Installer spreadsheet
- Commissioning certificate
- Safe Electric Completion certificate
- Details of F-Gas Certified Company and sign-off
- Where applicable, documentation of Ground and Water collector design and installation
- User and Installation manuals
- It's important to keep these documents as they will be needed for the inspection and they must be present in order for the grant to be paid. Also, keep these documents safe for the BER assessor, when you sell your house, etc.
4.3 - Why is my house selected for inspection and what is the impact on the grant payment?
- We carry out inspections in order to:
- Maintain high quality standards and best practice.
- Ensure measures implemented in your home improve the energy efficiency to the greatest extent possible.
- If your home is selected for pre-payment inspection, payment will remain on hold until the inspection and any potential reworks are completed.
- See full details on inspections in section 7 of the Application Guide.
4.4 - What should I do If I am notified of an SEAI inspection?
- Give the inspector access to your home, as this is a condition for grant payment.
- Make sure you have received the Safety File from the contractor. The Safety File contains the Declaration of Works forms signed by you, your contractor and your BER Assessor and all additional documents such as:
- Invoice for works
- Contract for works
- Receipt/proof of payment
- Supplier warranty
- Supplier guarantee
- Boiler logbook
- Product certification
- Manufacturer/product details and datasheets
- Commissioning reports
- Other relevant certificates
4.5 - Does my house need ventilation?
- Yes, it does. You need ventilation in your home to get fresh air and reduce harmful pollutants in your home. It also minimises the risk of condensation, damp and mould; and provides an air supply to fuel burning appliances. For further details, see Why you need proper ventilation in your home
4.6 - Wall Insulation - What is a Whole-Surface Solution?
What does a whole-surface solution mean for you:
- Insulation of all external walls achieving optimum insulation.
- Requirement under the Individual Energy Upgrade grant programme, ie. partial insulations based on affordability are not accepted.
- In order to fully insulate your home, you may need to apply a mix of wall insulation measures, ie part cavity insulation and part external insulation.
- Speak with your contractor to get advice on the whole-surface solution that's best for your home.
- The grant application must be for the greatest measure by wall area and only one wall grant will be paid.
Example: If you require part cavity insulation and part external insulation, you will only be eligible for the wall insulation grant for the largest wall area insulated.
For further information on optimum wall insulations, please refer to the Homeowner's Homeowner Application Guide, Section 2.2.
How to apply and manage your upgrade
If you decide to manage your own home energy upgrades you will be responsible for the entire process. This step-by-step guide shows you how to plan the project, including grant applications.
Apply nowPayment timeframes
- Allow between 4 and 6 weeks for all grant payments
Please note that some installations may be subject to a home inspection by SEAI which will impact payment timelines.
- Grants for windows and doors are not available under Individual Energy Upgrade grants.
- Grant funding is not available for replacement oil or gas boilers.
- Available to all homeowners and private landlords without means testing.
- We cannot give extensions to grant offer periods. Grant applications for works done before or after the grant offer period are not eligible for payment.
- Late forms are not eligible for payment and will result in grants being cancelled.
- Incomplete or missing forms will result in your grant claim being rejected and all forms being returned to you. This may result in a delay and/or cancellation of your grant claim.
- You are required to keep invoices and receipts for all completed works. You may be required to present them if we select your application for inspection.
- Your application may be selected for inspection. This is to maintain a good standard of workmanship.
- Contractors registered on the Better Energy Homes Scheme have agreed to comply with the Better Energy Homes Contractor's Code of Practice, Domestic Technical Standards and Specifications, Quality Assurance and Disciplinary Procedure and the Additional Information for Contractor's registered with Better Energy Homes.
- SEAI accepts no liability or responsibility, whether for breach of contract, negligence or otherwise, in respect of any claim or cause of action arising out of, or in relation to, any equipment, material, work, system or installation in respect for which grant approval was given by SEAI. The fact of registration on the registered Contractors List for the Scheme does not infer any warranty or endorsement of that contractor by SEAI.
- Traditional Buildings: For homes constructed before 1940, you may wish to consult a conservation architect for advice. These dwellings may require special consideration and modern insulation methods may not be appropriate. Alternative insulation methods should be discussed carefully with your contractor as they may not qualify for grant support. The Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings document provides useful guidance on the insulation of older homes.
Contact us
Call: 01808 2004
Email: [email protected]
Your Guide to Applying for and Claiming Cash Grants