Homeowner FAQ

If your question is not answered below please call 1850 927000 or e-mail hes@sei.ie

Click on the question titles below to go straight to the corresponding answer.

Who can avail of the scheme?

It is a National scheme and therefore all homeowners of dwellings built before 2006 may apply. Landlords and owners of multiple properties may also apply, however they must submit a separate application form for each property. If you are a landlord or a management company considering an entire building upgrade, please contact SEAI before applying online for the grant.

Can I apply if I was part of the HES Pilot scheme?

Homeowners, who received a grant payment through the earlier HES Pilot scheme may apply for measures not included in any such payments.

What type of work can I get a grant for?

Grants will be provided to homeowners who invest in energy efficiency improvements in the following area:

• Roof Insulation
• Wall Insulation – this includes either cavity wall, internal dry lining or external insulation
• Installation of a High Efficiency (> 90%) Gas or Oil fired  Boilers  with Heating Controls Upgrade*
• Heating Controls Upgrade
• Building Energy Rating (BER) – you can get a grant for a BER if one is done before and afterthe works are completed

*Minimum requirement of: 2 zones (space and water) with 7 day programmer (time and temperature) control and boiler interlock, time and temperature control of electric immersion heater and either 1 more zone control or 3 TRV’s. 

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How much are the grants?

Grants are fixed for each type of measure as indicated in the table below. Grant approval must be in place before any purchase of materials or commencement of measures undertaken. Grants are paid after the measures are completed and the contractor has been paid by the homeowner. In the instance where the cost of the work (vat inclusive) is less than the fixed grant amount, the actual cost will be reimbursed.

* Please note that while you are entitled to apply for each Measure there is a minimum requirement that the grant amount in the first application must be €500 or greater. The BER grant cannot form part of this €500 amount.

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Is a BER Assessment mandatory?

No, a BER assessment is not mandatory. However, there is a grant of €200 for those who choose to have a BER assessment completed Before and After Home Energy Saving works are completed.

Who can do the work?

In accordance with the scheme’s Terms and Conditions, all works must be completed by a contractor from SEAI’s Registered List, which will be published when the scheme opens for homeowner applications.

If undertaking a BER, these must be completed by a registered BER assessor. A list of registered assessors is available on the SEAI website www.seai.ie/BER

How do I apply?

For application details please visit our How to Apply page in the Homeowners section.

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When can I get the work done?

In accordance with the scheme’s Terms and Conditions, Grant Approval must be in place prior to any purchase of materials or commencement of works is undertaken.

However, the Before BER can be done ahead of Grant Approval and could prove beneficial for homeowners who are uncertain about their options or what to get done first.

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I live in an island community – are there any special arrangements for our circumstances?

Applications received from off shore islands are eligible for 50% additional grant support. This offer is limited to those islands identified on http://www.pobail.ie/en/Islands/InhabitedOffshoreIslands

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When might you NOT qualify for a Home Energy Saving scheme grant?

Depending on the scale or type of works being undertaken, the HES grant may not necessarily be appropriate for all homeowners.  Homeowners will not qualify for a grant:

• If your first grant application would be for less than €500.  So if you are only intending to do attic insulation (€250) or blown cavity wall insulation (€400) on their own then you will not qualify for a grant
• If you are installing a boiler with a typical efficiency <90% then you will not qualify for a grant
• If you decide to simply install a boiler but not upgrade the heating controls to the minimum prescribed standard then you will not qualify for a grant
• If you decide to simply replace your boiler but not upgrade the heating controls to the minimum prescribed standard then you will not qualify for a grant
• If you wish to get a grant for a Building Energy Rating (BER) then you must undertake a BER both before and after undertaking the appropriate grant aided measures.

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I receive the fuel allowance (as part of the national fuel scheme), can I draw down the Home Energy Savings scheme grant?

All homeowners of dwellings built before 2006 may apply for this scheme. However those on a Fuel Allowance (as part of the National Fuel Scheme) may be eligible to receive home energy improvement services under SEAI’s Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS). We would recommend that you consider this scheme also as it may be more suitable for you than the HES scheme. All information on the Warmer Homes Scheme can be viewed at   www.sei.ie/warmerhomes or by calling the FREE phone number: 1800 250 204.

Do I require planning permission for External wall insulation?

External insulation works to your home under the Home Energy Saving scheme may be exempted from the planning code. However, it should be noted that external insulation of a structure would constitute exempted development under Section 4(1) (h) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 only if it “constituted works which do not materially affect the external appearance of the structure so as to render the appearance inconsistent with the character of the structure or of neighbouring structures”.

If there is any doubt about whether or not the particular external insulation proposed  for your home will affect the character of the structure  as an SEAI grant applicant you are  advised to  contact the planning authority in your area to clarify the matter.

Please note also that, in the case of protected structures, proposed protected structures, and buildings within Architectural Conservation Areas, the usual exemptions from the requirements of planning permission may not apply and the advice of the planning authority should always be obtained by you before carrying out any works.

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Can I insulate some of my exposed walls and still receive the HES Grant?

To be eligible for the HES grant the optimum solution, which is both physically and economically practicable must be implemented, for example when dealing with walls that this comprises internal insulation of all exposed walls; external insulation of all exposed walls; and in the case of roof insulation that this comprises insulation of the whole surface of the ceiling/ roof-space as appropriate.

Partial works are only accepted in exceptional circumstances, for example where it is not physically possible to provide complete roof insulation coverage due to small inaccessible areas of the roof; the idea of dry-lining all exposed walls in a particular dwelling may become economically unviable where it would require the replacement of kitchen units.  There may also be instances where the physical limitations are to such an extent as to make insulation unviable. Any exceptional circumstances must be detailed by the contractor in the Declaration of Works.

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I can only afford to dry-line 2 of my exposed walls. Am I eligible for a HES grant?

You would not be eligible for a grant under the HES scheme as dry-lining only 2 walls would not provide the optimum insulation solution for your home. The ability of a household to afford the particular solution cannot conflict with the objective of securing a viable solution for the home.

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I know my two front rooms are the coldest. Can I just dry-line the exposed walls in these two rooms?

No. To be eligible for the HES grant you must implement the optimum solution. In this case you must dry-line all exposed walls. Doing such a solution would provide the greatest improvement in energy efficiency and comfort levels within the home.

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Some of my external walls are already insulated. Can I apply for a grant to insulate the remaining walls?

 Yes. If at the end of the insulation work on your home all the exposed walls are insulated you are eligible for a grant under the HES scheme.

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My home has an extension. The original building is a solid wall construction and the extension is a cavity wall construction. Can I get a grant for dry-lining and for cavity fill?

No. You can only apply for one category of each measure available under the HES scheme i.e. Cavity Fill or Internal Dry-lining or External wall insulation. In the case above you should apply for Internal Dry-lining as this will be the more expensive part of the project (and thus the grant is more generous). To be eligible for the grant you must undertake the optimum solution. This would involve completing both the dry-lining and cavity wall insulation. You can only claim the grant based on the dry-lining costs alone.

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I live in a dormer home. I am planning to insulate the roof space, what grant am I eligible for under the HES scheme?

If you insulate the complete roof area of a dormer dwelling you are eligible to a €250 grant under the HES scheme.

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My Stairwell runs along the gable wall and would become very narrow if I were to dry-line this wall. What can I do in this situation?

You must not reduce the width of your stairway to less than 800mm. However it would be important to put in what insulation can be accommodated to address this potentially very large area of heat loss. In this case you can use insulation that is 50mm thick instead of 80mm.

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Are hollow block walls eligible for a HES grant?

Yes hollow block walls are eligible for either the dry-lining grant of €2500 or the external wall insulation grant of €4000. The hollow block wall is not eligible for cavity fill insulation as this is an inefficient method of insulating this type of wall. The majority of heat is lost through the solid sections of the hollow block such as the ends and spine of the block. So dry-lining could be expected to reduce heat loss by 70-80% and blown insulation into a cavity wall would reduce heat loss by 70%, on the other hand blown insulation in a hollow block wall will only reduce heat loss by approximately 25%.

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I am a landlord of an entire apartment block. Can I apply for a grant for all the apartments under the Home Energy Saving scheme?

If you are a landlord or a management company considering an entire building upgrade, please contact SEAI before applying online for the grant. Grant provisions will be calculated on the basis of the total wall and/or roof areas to be insulated when compared to those of an average home envisaged under the HES scheme.

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Are there instances where I might not qualify for a wall insulation grant?

Yes in certain circumstances it will not be possible to implement wall insulation which will satisfactorily and sufficiently address heat loss. Such circumstances include:

• A hollow block wall cannot be insulated with blown insulation
• A home with very small rooms e.g. traditional cottage, may not be able to sacrifice the space for dry-lining
• A heritage or listed building may have a preclusion on the upgrading the external facade of the building and hence external wall insulation will not be possible.

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Why is Glazing not covered in the Home Energy Saving scheme?

The Home Energy Saving scheme is focusing initially on the measures that have been proven to offer the best impacts and value for money in energy efficiency terms.  For this reason glazing is not included in the HES scheme.

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