The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) offers a range of grants to help homeowners make their homes warmer, more energy efficient and cheaper to run. Whether you are looking to insulate your attic, install a heat pump, add solar panels or carry out a full home energy upgrade, there is likely a grant available to help cover the cost.
The National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026 has brought the most generous package of grants Ireland has ever seen, with total government funding of €558 million targeting 70,000 homes. New grants for windows and doors, increased insulation support, a heat pump grant of up to €12,500 and extra support for first-time buyers and welfare payment recipients all launched in early 2026.
This guide explains every SEAI grant available in 2026, who is eligible, how much you can get and how to apply.
💶 SEAI Individual Energy Upgrade Grants 2026
The Individual Energy Upgrade Grants (formerly known as Better Energy Homes grants) are available to all homeowners of properties built and occupied before 2011 (before 2021 for heat pumps and renewable energy grants). You do not need to be means-tested and there is no age restriction. Landlords and approved housing bodies can also apply.
These grants cover individual measures, meaning you can choose to do one upgrade at a time rather than committing to a full home retrofit. This phased approach is one of the key features of the 2026 grant design – you can do insulation this year, windows next year and a heat pump after that, claiming separate grants as you go. For every scheme in one place – SEAI, local authority and Revenue supports – see our home improvement grants guide, and if you are bringing an empty property back into use, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant of up to €70,000 can be combined with these SEAI grants.
🏠 Insulation Grants
Insulation is one of the most effective ways to reduce heat loss and lower your energy bills. Grant amounts vary by dwelling type because larger homes have more surface area to insulate. SEAI increased grants for attic insulation and cavity wall insulation from 3 February 2026.
Attic insulation (increased in 2026):
🌿 Detached house: €2,000
🌿 Semi-detached or end-terrace: €1,500
🌿 Mid-terrace: €1,400
🌿 Apartment: €1,100
Cavity wall insulation (increased in 2026):
🌿 Detached house: €1,800
🌿 Semi-detached or end-terrace: €1,300
🌿 Mid-terrace: €850
🌿 Apartment: €700
External wall insulation:
🌿 Detached house: €8,000
🌿 Semi-detached or end-terrace: €6,000
🌿 Mid-terrace: €3,500
🌿 Apartment: €3,000
Internal wall insulation (dry lining):
🌿 Detached house: €4,500
🌿 Semi-detached or end-terrace: €3,500
🌿 Mid-terrace: €2,000
🌿 Apartment: €1,500
For what the work involves, real costs and which type suits your home, see our full attic insulation guide and wall insulation guide.
Floor insulation: up to €3,500 for houses
For attic and cavity wall insulation, SEAI estimates the grants now cover approximately 80% of the average cost. For external wall insulation, the grant covers between 20% and 35% of the median cost – it is a bigger job, but also delivers the most dramatic improvement.
Your home must have been built and occupied before 2011 to qualify for insulation grants. All work must be carried out by an SEAI-registered contractor, and you must have grant approval before starting work.
🔹 Second Wall Measure (New for 2026)
From 2 March 2026, homeowners who previously received a grant for cavity wall or internal wall insulation can now apply for a second wall insulation measure. This is a significant change – previously, once you had used your wall insulation grant, you were locked out of further support.
This means you could get cavity wall insulation done first (the cheapest option) and then later add external wall insulation on top for maximum thermal performance. This “double wall” approach makes your home significantly warmer and heat pump-ready.
🔹 First-Time Buyer Attic Insulation (New for 2026)
From 2 March 2026, first-time buyers of existing homes can claim a higher fixed grant for attic insulation of up to €2,500. SEAI designed this specifically because first-time buyers who have just stretched to buy a house are often cash-poor. In many cases, this enhanced grant covers most or all of the total cost of attic insulation.
🔹 Higher Grants for Welfare Payment Recipients (New for 2026)
From 2 March 2026, homeowners receiving qualifying welfare payments (the same payments that qualify for the Warmer Homes Scheme) can access higher fixed-amount grants:
🌿 Attic insulation: up to €2,500
🌿 Cavity wall insulation: up to €2,300
🌿 Enhanced BER grant: €280
In many cases, these enhanced grants cover most or all of the total cost of the work. This is designed to help people who are on the Warmer Homes Scheme waiting list (currently 24 months or more) to get their attic and walls done immediately through the individual grants route.
Importantly, using these enhanced individual grants does not affect your place on the Warmer Homes Scheme waiting list for other measures.
♨️ Heat Pump Grants – Up to €12,500
From 3 February 2026, the SEAI heat pump grant has been significantly increased. The new maximum of €12,500 is a fixed-amount grant made up of three components:
🌿 Up to €6,500 for the heat pump installation itself (air-to-water or ground-to-water systems)
🌿 Up to €2,000 for central heating upgrades – new radiators, pipework or underfloor heating where required
🌿 €4,000 Renewable Heat Bonus for homeowners switching from oil, gas, solid fuel or electric storage heating to a heat pump
Other heat pump grants:
🌿 Apartments: up to €9,500
🌿 Air-to-air heat pumps: up to €7,500 (€3,500 for the heat pump plus €4,000 renewable heat bonus)
Your home must have been built and occupied before 2021 to qualify. The home must meet a minimum Heat Loss Indicator (HLI) of 2.0 or below, meaning adequate insulation must be in place first. Homes built before 2007 require a Technical Assessment before applying.
The new €12,500 maximum also applies to existing open applications where a Request for Payment has not yet been submitted.
For full details on costs, suitability, the step-by-step application process and grant stacking, see our complete heat pump guide.
☀️ Solar Panel Grants – Up to €1,800
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels generate electricity from sunlight, reducing your reliance on the grid and lowering your electricity bills.
🌿 Solar PV panels: up to €1,800 for systems up to 4kWp
🌿 0% VAT rate on the supply and installation of solar panels on domestic premises
The grant is calculated on a tiered basis: €700 per kWp for the first 2kWp, then €200 per kWp up to 4kWp. A typical 4kWp system generates around 40% of an average household’s annual electricity needs.
Under the microgeneration support scheme, you can also be paid for surplus electricity you export back to the grid. Export rates vary by supplier – for example, Energia pays 18.5c per kWh and Electric Ireland pays 19.5c per kWh. There is also an income tax disregard of €400 per year for micro-generation income, extended to the end of 2028.
For the full breakdown, see our solar panel grants guide.
🪟 Windows and Doors Grants (New for 2026)
From 2 March 2026, SEAI offers standalone grants for energy-efficient windows and doors for the first time. Previously, window grants were only available through the One Stop Shop deep retrofit route.
Windows grant by dwelling type:
🌿 Detached house: €4,000
🌿 Semi-detached or end-terrace: €3,000
🌿 Mid-terrace: €1,800
🌿 Apartment: €1,500
Doors grant: €800 per external door, maximum two doors (€1,600 total) See our full window and door grants guide for costs, the fabric standard and how to apply.
To qualify, your home must meet a minimum fabric performance standard – either a Heat Loss Indicator of 2.3 or better, or attic and walls rated “Good” or “Very Good” on your BER Advisory Report. If your home does not meet this standard yet, you can upgrade insulation first (claiming insulation grants) and then apply for the windows and doors grant.
New windows must meet a U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or better.
🔧 Other Individual Grants
🌿 Heating controls upgrade: €700. Upgrading your heating controls (thermostats, timers, thermostatic radiator valves) improves efficiency even without changing your boiler – and if you were hoping for a boiler grant, see what exists instead.
🌿 Solar thermal (solar water heating): €1,200. Solar thermal panels heat your hot water directly and can meet 50-60% of annual hot water needs.
🏗️ One Stop Shop Service – Up to 50% of Costs
If you want to carry out a deeper energy retrofit covering multiple upgrades at once, the SEAI One Stop Shop service is designed for you. Rather than managing individual upgrades separately, a registered One Stop Shop company handles the entire process – from the initial assessment and BER rating through to completing all the work and claiming the grants on your behalf.
🔹 How It Works
🌿 You contact an SEAI-registered One Stop Shop provider (there are currently 14 operating across Ireland)
🌿 They carry out a home energy assessment and recommend the upgrades your home needs
🌿 They provide a quote covering all the work, with the SEAI grant already deducted from the price
🌿 The work is completed by registered contractors
🌿 A post-works BER assessment confirms the improvement to B2 or better
🌿 The One Stop Shop claims the grant directly from SEAI, so you only pay the balance
The One Stop Shop route can provide grants of up to 50% of the total project cost for deep retrofits achieving B2 or better. For larger projects costing €40,000 to €60,000, the 50% route can work out more generous than stacking individual grants.
🔹 2026 Changes to One Stop Shop Rules
From March 2026, the One Stop Shop eligibility rules have been relaxed:
🌿 The minimum energy uplift requirement (previously 100 kWh/m²/yr improvement) is being removed where a heat pump is installed
🌿 The requirement for a pre-works BER of B3 or worse is being removed where a heat pump is installed
This means more homeowners can access the 50% grant route – even if your home is already reasonably efficient, you can now use the One Stop Shop service to install a heat pump and carry out supporting upgrades.
💰 Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme
To supplement the grants, the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme offers government-backed low-cost loans specifically for energy upgrades:
🌿 Loan amounts: €5,000 to €75,000
🌿 Interest rates: from 2.99% (government-subsidised)
🌿 Available through: AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, Avant Money (via An Post) and participating credit unions
To qualify, the upgrade must be supported by an SEAI grant (either individual or One Stop Shop) and projected to achieve at least a 20% improvement in energy performance. The loan can cover the homeowner’s portion of costs after grants.
This scheme was developed in collaboration with the European Investment Bank and launched in April 2024. It is the first scheme of its kind for Ireland.
🏘️ The Warmer Homes Scheme (Fully Funded Upgrades)
The Warmer Homes Scheme provides free energy upgrades to homeowners who receive certain social welfare payments. If you qualify, the full cost of the upgrades is covered – there is nothing to pay.
🔹 Who Qualifies?
To be eligible, you must:
🌿 Own and live in your home (it must be your primary residence)
🌿 The home must have been built and occupied before 2006
🌿 The home must have a BER of C or lower (if you do not have a BER, SEAI will do a free assessment)
🌿 You must be receiving one of the qualifying welfare payments: Fuel Allowance, Working Family Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance (6+ months with a child under 7), Disability Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance, One Parent Family Payment or Carer’s Allowance
🔹 What Is Included?
The Warmer Homes Scheme can include attic insulation, cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation, draught-proofing, lagging jackets, energy-efficient lighting and – where recommended by the SEAI surveyor – heating system upgrades and window replacements.
Since January 2025, the scheme no longer installs fossil fuel boilers. If your home needs a new heating system, it will be a heat pump or another renewable option.
🔹 Waiting Times
The biggest challenge is the waiting time. SEAI currently estimates 24 to 26 months from application to completion. The scheme completed 7,743 free home upgrades in 2024 – a 31% increase on the previous year – and the rate is improving.
If you are on the waiting list and cannot wait for attic or cavity wall insulation, the new enhanced individual grants for welfare payment recipients (from March 2026) allow you to get these done immediately without losing your place on the Warmer Homes waiting list.
🏘️ Landlord Tax Relief for Retrofitting
Landlords can deduct up to €10,000 (net of any SEAI grant received) from their rental income for retrofit works. From 2026, this relief is available on up to three properties (increased from two), covering works carried out between 2026 and 2028.
Combined with SEAI grants, this means landlords can substantially offset the cost of bringing rental properties up to standard. For example, a landlord carrying out €20,000 of works, receiving €8,000 in SEAI grants, could then deduct €10,000 from rental income – meaning the effective out-of-pocket cost is reduced to just €2,000.
🏘️ Local Authority and Social Housing Retrofitting
Budget 2026 includes €140 million to retrofit 3,500 local authority homes. The Climate Action Plan targets 36,500 social homes retrofitted by 2030.
From 2026, local authorities can access Better Energy Homes grants for attic insulation, cavity wall insulation and heating controls in their housing stock. SEAI has also proposed increasing the grant rate for Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to support the upgrade of their worst-performing homes.
🚗 EV and Electric Vehicle Grants
While not part of the home energy grants programme, SEAI also administers grants for electric vehicles:
🌿 New electric vehicle grant: up to €3,500 toward the purchase of a new battery electric vehicle
🌿 Used electric vehicle grant: up to €3,500 for qualifying second-hand EVs
🌿 Home charger grant: up to €300 toward the cost of installing a home charging point
EV buyers also benefit from reduced motor tax, reduced toll charges and lower VRT compared to petrol and diesel vehicles. For more details, see our electric car grant guide.
📋 How to Apply for SEAI Grants
🔹 Individual Energy Upgrade Grants
🌿 Step 1: Choose your upgrade – decide which measure or measures you want to carry out
🌿 Step 2: Get quotes – obtain quotes from SEAI-registered contractors. Get at least three quotes. You can find registered contractors on the SEAI website
🌿 Step 3: Apply online – submit your application through the SEAI online portal before any work begins. You will need your MPRN (from your electricity bill). Applications are typically approved within minutes online
🌿 Step 4: Accept the offer – you have 30 days to accept the grant offer. Once accepted, you have 8 months to complete the work
🌿 Step 5: Complete the work – your SEAI-registered contractor carries out the upgrades
🌿 Step 6: Post-works BER – a BER assessment confirms the improvement (required for most grants)
🌿 Step 7: Claim your grant – submit the Declaration of Works, post-works BER certificate and proof of payment through the SEAI portal
🌿 Step 8: Receive payment – SEAI pays the grant directly to your bank account, typically within 4 to 6 weeks
🔹 One Stop Shop Service
🌿 Contact a registered One Stop Shop provider
🌿 They assess your home and recommend upgrades
🌿 They provide a quote with the grant already deducted
🌿 The provider manages the entire process including grant applications
🌿 A post-works BER confirms the improvement to B2 or better
🌿 You only pay the balance after grants
🔹 Warmer Homes Scheme
🌿 Check eligibility using the SEAI online portal
🌿 Apply online or by phone (01 808 2004)
🌿 SEAI arranges a survey and recommends upgrades
🌿 A contractor appointed by SEAI carries out the work at no cost
🌿 A post-works BER assessment is carried out by SEAI
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About SEAI Grants
🔹 Can I get more than one SEAI grant?
Yes. You can apply for multiple individual grants for different measures. For example, you could get grants for attic insulation, wall insulation, a heat pump and solar panels separately. However, you cannot claim both an individual grant and a One Stop Shop grant for the same measure.
🔹 How much total grant funding can I get?
If you combine heat pump, insulation, solar PV and the new windows and doors grant, total SEAI funding can exceed €21,500 for a single home. Going through the One Stop Shop route for a deep retrofit can provide up to 50% of the total project cost, which may be even more for larger projects.
🔹 Do I need a BER assessment first?
A BER assessment is required before and after work for heat pump grants and the One Stop Shop service. For simpler measures like attic insulation, a pre-works BER is not always required but a post-works BER is needed. The new windows and doors grant requires your Advisory Report to confirm your home meets the fabric standard. See our BER rating guide for more.
🔹 Can I do the work myself?
No. All work must be carried out by an SEAI-registered contractor. DIY installations do not qualify for grants.
🔹 How long does the grant take to be paid?
Once you have submitted your completed Declaration of Works and all supporting documentation, SEAI typically processes payments within 4 to 6 weeks.
🔹 Are landlords eligible?
Yes. Landlords can apply for individual energy upgrade grants for rental properties. They can also claim up to €10,000 in tax relief (net of grants) on up to three properties from 2026 to 2028. Landlords are not eligible for the Warmer Homes Scheme.
🔹 Can I apply if my home was built after 2011?
For insulation and heating controls grants, your home must have been built and occupied before 2011. For heat pump and renewable energy grants (solar PV, solar thermal), the cutoff is before 2021. Newer homes are expected to meet higher building standards already.
🔹 I already got a wall insulation grant – can I get another?
Yes, from 2 March 2026. If you previously received a grant for cavity wall or internal wall insulation, you can now apply for a second wall insulation measure.
🔹 Are the grants taxable?
No. SEAI home energy grants are not subject to income tax.
🔹 Can I get a loan to cover the rest?
Yes. The Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme offers government-backed loans of €5,000 to €75,000 from 2.99%. The upgrade must be supported by an SEAI grant and achieve at least a 20% improvement in energy performance. Available through AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, Avant Money and participating credit unions.
💡 Tips for Getting the Most from SEAI Grants in 2026
🌿 Start with insulation – insulating your home first makes all other upgrades more effective. A heat pump in a poorly insulated home will not perform well. See our retrofitting guide for the best approach.
🌿 Get multiple quotes – prices vary significantly between contractors. Getting at least three quotes ensures you are getting fair value.
🌿 Check contractor registration – always verify that your contractor is on the SEAI register before proceeding. Unregistered contractors cannot be used for grant-eligible work.
🌿 Apply before starting work – this is the most common mistake. If you begin work before receiving grant approval, you will not be eligible for the grant.
🌿 Consider the One Stop Shop – if you are planning multiple upgrades, the One Stop Shop service can be more cost-effective and much less hassle than managing individual grants. With the 2026 rule changes, more homeowners now qualify.
🌿 Stack your grants – plan your upgrade path to maximise total funding. Heat pump (€12,500) + insulation + solar (€1,800) + windows (up to €4,000) can exceed €21,500 in total.
🌿 Check the Home Energy Upgrade Loan – if you need to bridge the gap between the grant and the total cost, rates start from just 2.99%.
🌿 Keep all receipts and documentation – you will need proof of payment and contractor invoices to claim your grant.
🔗 Useful Resources
🌿 SEAI Grants Portal – official grant information and application forms
🌿 Individual Grant Details – full breakdown of individual grant amounts
🌿 One Stop Shop Providers – find a registered provider in your area
🌿 Warmer Homes Scheme – check eligibility and apply
🌿 Citizens Information Guide – independent overview of the Better Energy Homes scheme
📚 Related Guides
🌿 Home Improvement Grants
🌿 Warmer Homes Scheme
🌿 Windows & Doors Grant
🌿 Vacant Property Grant
🌿 Boiler Replacement Grant
🌿 Electric Car Grant
🌿 Home Energy Upgrade Loan
🌿 Retrofitting
👉 All guides and calculators
Climate Jargon Buster is an independent resource providing plain-English information on climate, energy and sustainability topics for an Irish audience. Grant amounts and eligibility criteria in this article are correct as of March 2026. For the latest official grant information, visit seai.ie. This site is not affiliated with SEAI – always check the official SEAI website for current figures and eligibility requirements.