What home energy efficiency grants does the SEAI offer?

The SEAI offers five different grants for different home energy efficiency measures. Let’s kick things off by taking a look at the details of the home insulation grant.

Insulation grant

According to the SEAI, a home can lose 30% of its heat through poorly insulated walls and attics; meaning that a lot of that lovely heat you’re paying for could literally be going out the window (well, the walls) before you’ve had a proper chance to benefit from it.

The authority contends that properly insulating the walls of the average home can save up to €600 per year on heating bills.

What are the benefits of insulating your home?

There are three main benefits to insulating your home’s walls and attic. These are:

• Your energy bills should decrease: As mentioned above, 30% of your home’s heat can be lost through poorly insulated walls. So... Insulate your walls > lose less heat > watch your bills fall.
• Your home will become more comfortable: Once your home is more energy efficient, you’ll hopefully be able to retire that old “put on more clothes” response when a family member complains about being cold.
• You’ll reduce your emissions: Quite simply, reduced heat loss leads to reduced energy consumption which leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. 

What types of insulation grants does the SEAI offer?

Insulation grants include cavity, internal and external wall insulation, as well as attic insulation grants.

For more information on these different insulation types to determine which is kind is the best fit for your home, check out the SEAI’s website.

Who can apply for an insulation grant from the SEAI?

All homeowners, including landlords, whose homes were built and occupied before 2011 can apply. This is defined as the date your electricity meter was installed.

Grant funding can only be issued once per property for each type of works. Therefore, any property which previously benefited from the Better Energy Homes scheme, or any other Government scheme, cannot receive further support for wall insulation.

Solar Water Heating Grant / Solar Thermal 

Once your walls and attic are all insulated, what else can you do to improve your home’s energy efficiency? Well, you could reduce your hot water costs by installing a solar thermal system (not to be confused with a solar PV system, which we'll discuss later).  

The SEAI says that solar thermal systems are designed to meet 50-60% of your overall hot water requirement over the year.

What are the benefits of a solar thermal system?

As with properly fitted insulation, installing a solar thermal system should help you dramatically reduce your energy bills. Your solar panels should generate enough free energy to meet over half your annual hot water needs.

Similarly, if you’re using less energy to heat your water, you’ll be reducing your emissions and carbon footprint.

What is the value of the SEAI’s solar thermal grant?

The SEAI offers a €1,200 grant to households looking to install solar thermal systems.

Who can apply for a solar thermal grant from the SEAI?

All homeowners, including landlords, whose homes were built and occupied before 2021 can apply. This is defined as the date your electricity meter was installed. This is different to other grant measures where the home must be built before 2011.

A point to remember concerning solar thermal grants:

It’s important to be aware that the solar thermal grant is only approved if solar panels are applied to your full home. This means that the measures should be completed based on the average number of people that could live in a home of your size, rather than the actual number of occupants.

If enough collectors are not installed this may result in non-payment of the grant by the SEAI. Make sure that a compliance check is carried out by the registered contractor before work starts.

Solar Electricity Grant / Solar PV

Many of us often use the term "solar panel" as a catch-all term for solar-generated electricity. However there are two types of solar panels that you can install in your home; solar thermal collectors (as discussed above) to heat water exclusively and solar photovoltaic (PV) modules which are used to generate free direct current (DC) electricity for multipurpose use in your home. 

Solar PV panels are the rooftop solar panels you see on homes and businesses.

A domestic solar PV system consists of a number of solar panels mounted to your roof (or in your garden) which are connected into the electrical loads within your building. The solar panels generate DC (direct current – like a battery) electricity, which is then converted in an inverter to AC (alternating current – like the electricity in your domestic socket). Solar PV systems are rated in kilowatts (kW). A 1kW solar PV system would require 3 or 4 solar panels on your roof.

Any excess electricity produced can be stored in a battery, or other storage solution like your hot water immersion tank. It can also be exported from your house into the electrical network on your street.

What are the benefits of a solar PV system?

Free electricity of course! A solar PV system will reduce the electricity you currently purchase from your supplier and save you money. The SEAI advise maximising the amount of solar electricity you use in your home by sizing the solar PV system to meet your demand, and by using energy storage solutions.

On average, a solar PV system can save you between €200-€300 per year on your domestic electricity bill.

By investing in solar PV, you will also be making an impact on the BER of your home. When it comes to selling your home, a higher BER will add value and help you achieve a higher sale price. 

You can discover more about the benefits of solar panels in this guide.

What is the value of the SEAI’s solar PV grant?

The SEAI offers €900 for every kWp up to a maximum of 2kWp. Any installation over 2kWp must install a battery. 

You'll get €300 for every additional kWp up to 4kWp if you get a battery. So a maximum of €2,400.

Who can apply for a solar PV grant from the SEAI?

There is a short eligibility form that grant seekers can fill out to see if they're eligible for the solar PV scheme on the SEAI's website. 

Support is available to all owners of dwellings built and occupied before 2021.

Heating controls grant

By updating your heating controls you could reduce your energy usage by up to 20% and consequently reduce your home heating bills.

What are the benefits of updating your heating controls?

There are three main benefits to updating your heating controls with the SEAI. These are:

• Heat when you need it: You’ll be able to control your heating remotely, meaning that you’ll only ever need to heat the house when you’re actually there.
• Heat zones for extra efficiency: Heat your hot water without having to turn on your home heating. You can also split upstairs and downstairs into heating zones for further efficiency.
• Reduce your energy bills: the first two benefits will help you to reduce your energy usage by up to 20%, saving you money on your energy bills

What is the value of the SEAI’s heating controls grant?

The SEAI offers a €700 grant to households looking to update their home’s heating controls.

Who can apply for the SEAI’s heating controls grant?

All homeowners, including landlords, whose homes were built and occupied before 2011 can apply. This is defined as the date your electricity meter was installed.

Your property will not be eligible for a Heating Controls grant if you are applying for, or have previously claimed, a Heat Pump System grant. This is because a Heat Pump System must incorporate heating controls as part of the grant works.

Heat pump grant 

If you already live in a well-insulated home and you’re looking to make your home as energy efficient as possible, you might be interested in the SEAI’s heat pump grant.

Heat pumps promise to transform the comfort levels in your home and act as an attractive alternative to fossil fuel heating systems, offering lower costs and reduced carbon emissions.

What is a heat pump system and how does it work?  

According to the SEAI;

“Heat-pumps are electrical devices which convert energy from the air outside of your home into useful heat, in the same way a fridge extracts heat from its inside. In well-insulated houses they are very economical to run. They are an extremely efficient alternative to oil, gas, solid fuel and electric home heating systems.

"Different types of heat pump systems draw heat from different sources: air, water or the ground. Heat generated is released via radiators, underfloor heating or warm air. All heat pump systems, excluding those providing warm air to the home, can supply all of the hot water needed for baths, showers and sinks.”

What types of heat pump systems are there?

There are three types of heat pump system. These are air source pumps, ground source pumps and water source pumps.

• Air source: These are the most popular heat pump systems. They extract heat from external air, typically using an outside unit. They don’t require underground piping to source heat and so tend to be cheaper and easier to install compared to other heat pump systems.
• Ground source: A ground-source heat pump system uses the earth as a source of renewable heat. Heat is removed from the ground through collector pipework and then transferred to the heat pump. The ground collector can be laid out horizontally at a shallow depth below the surface or else vertically to a greater depth.
• Water source: Water source heat pump systems use open water, such as lakes, rivers or streams, as a heat source. Heat is removed from the water through collector pipework and then transferred to the heat pump.

What are the benefits of installing a heat pump system?

As with any of these energy efficiency measures, there are three main benefits to installing a heat pump system. You should see a dramatic reduction in your energy bills, your home’s comfort levels should increase and as you won’t be burning fossil fuels, you’ll reduce your carbon emissions.  

What types of heat pump system grants does the SEAI offer?

Below are the grants available from the SEAI for each different type of heat pump system.

Who can apply for a heat pump system from the SEAI?

All homeowners, including landlords, whose homes were built and occupied before 2021 can apply. This is defined as the date your electricity meter was installed. This is different to other grant measures where the home must be built before 2011.

Don’t forget! To qualify for a heat pump system grant your home must be well insulated and have low heat loss. This is to ensure your heat pump system performs well and your electricity bills are not too high. 

Before you apply for a heat pump system grant, you must select an independent, SEAI Registered Technical Advisor. They will carry out a technical assessment of your home, and will advise you on what steps you need to take to make your home heat pump ready.

Thinking of applying for a grant? Hold your horses just a second…

If you’re thinking of applying for one of the SEAI’s home energy grants, be aware that you’ll be required to carry out and publish a BER once your grant-related works are done in order to draw down payments.

What is a BER?

A Building Energy Rating or BER certificate is an indication of the energy performance of your home. It must be carried out by a registered BER assessor. The SEAI also offers a BER grant of €50 to help pay for this assessment.

Find out how to go about getting a BER certificate here.

Bonus for multiple measures

Did you know that the SEAI offer higher grants and cash bonuses if you carry out three or four measures on your home?

If you complete three measures your grant value will be increased by €300.

If you complete four measures your grant value will be increased by an additional €100. €400 in total.

Find out more about retrofitting

Retrofitting is becoming more and more popular in Ireland, with many households seeking to lower both their energy costs and their carbon footprint. 

In 2021, Electric Ireland and Tipperary Energy Agency announced that they teamed up to create a new joint venture called Electric Ireland SuperHomes.

If you’re looking for more information on retrofitting, make sure you take a listen to our podcast episode where we chat to retrofit expert David Flannery from Electric Ireland SuperHomes. 

In this blog we’ve just outlined how to finance a retrofit with SEAI grants, however there are also other finance options available.

Ready for some extra ways to save on your energy bills?

The fastest and easiest way to save money on your energy bills with no investment at all is to switch your suppliers every 12 months. Why? Because it can save you an average of over €400 by doing so! 

Why not compare gas and electricity suppliers now and see how much you could save?  

Before making the switch, make sure you check out the most common questions we get asked about the switching process so that you’re fully informed.

If you’re still in contract and don’t want to switch at the moment, consider adjusting your everyday habits around the home in order to save. Check out these 16 ways to use less electricity and save money.

Let’s hear from you

Would you consider availing of a grant from the SEAI for home improvements? If so, which one? 

We’d also love to hear from you if you have carried out any retrofitting on your home. What was your experience like?

Comment below or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.