Traditional Homes Pilot

Aim of the pilot

This pilot seeks to gain a detailed understanding of the technical aspects, materials, products, and associated costs with the solutions required for traditional homes.

The pilot will provide tailored solutions for your traditional home and the upgrade options include all the technologies available to modern homes; roof insulation, wall insulation, floor insulation, windows & doors, ventilation, renewable heating (heat pumps), solar thermal, solar PV.

To qualify for grant support, you must complete a whole house energy upgrade and your home must reach a minimum B2 building energy rating after the upgrades. 

What does this mean for homeowners?

This pilot allows homeowners to avail of the OSS grant supports  using products suitable for traditionally constructed homes. We are seeking 100 traditionally constructed homes to participate in the pilot.

How to apply

1. Engage a Traditional Building Professional such as an architect, engineer, or surveyor with relevant conservation and traditional home energy upgrade experience. See links to professional bodies websites below for further guidance:

• RIAI - List of conservation accredited architects 
• SCSI - List of conservation accredited surveyors
• Engineer Ireland - List of conservation accredited engineers 
  (This list is administered by the Institute of Civil Engineers (UK) and includes members operating in Ireland and the UK. Please refer to the Base & Region columns to find your nearest accredited Engineer)

     It is essential to consult a specialist in traditional buildings to ensure that the thermal upgrades and products are        suitable for your home. They will work alongside the OSS to develop a tailored plan for you home upgrade.

     If you require guidance on statutory requirements and conservation advice for historic buildings, or you are 
     looking for conservation professionals and tradespeople in your area with a proven track record working with 
     historic buildings, visit the Architectural Conservation Officers support website.

   2. Contact a Registered One Stop Shop

      Find a registered OSS company to start your energy upgrade. They will guide you through the process and 
      manage the grant application.

One Stop Shops currently providing traditional homes services are:

Architectural Conservation Officers support

On the National Built Heritage Service website you will find a list of Architectural Conservation Officers from various local authorities across the country. (See Question “Who are the right professionals to help me refurbish my protected structure”) These Architectural Conservation Officers can provide guidance on statutory requirements and conservation advice for historic buildings. Your local Architectural Conservation Officer (ACO) may also know of conservation professionals and tradespeople in your area with a proven track record working with historic buildings. You should contact your Planning Department directly if your local authority does not employ an ACO.

Case studies

SEAI may request homeowners to consider participating in the creation of case studies which will be published on SEAI’s website. This is to showcase their home energy upgrade improvements based on the measures installed. It will include the overall approach applied to successfully manage their retrofit journey from planning works, expert advice sought, materials installed to completion and aftercare.

Participation is not mandatory, and non-participation will not affect your application in any way. Where homeowners are willing to participate, SEAI will seek consent in accordance with the data protection requirements and will work in partnership with participating homeowners. 

Overview of the Traditional Homes Pilot

This video includes an overview of the traditional homes pilot and highlights some of the key considerations when carrying out energy upgrades to traditional homes. It also covers examples of compatible solutions for these types of projects