Legal and privacy

Unless otherwise stated, the copyright and any other rights in all material on this site are owned by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. You are permitted to print and download extracts from this site on the following basis:

Use of documents and related graphics on this site is for information and/or personal use only:

• Any copies of these pages saved to disk or to any other storage medium may only be used for subsequent viewing purposes or to print extracts for personal use.
• No documents or related graphics on this site are to be modified in any way
• Graphics on this site are not to be used separately from the accompanying text
• No part of this site may be reproduced or stored in any other site or included in any public or private electronic retrieval system or service without the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's prior written permission.
• No use or display may be made of the name or logo of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland without the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's prior written permission
• Any rights not expressly granted in these Terms are reserved.

The contents of these pages are provided as an information guide only. They are intended to enhance public access to information about the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. While every effort is made in preparing material for publication no responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on these pages or any site to which these pages connect. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland reserves the right at any time to revise, amend, alter or delete the information provided on this site.

Although every effort is made to ensure the reliability of listed sites this cannot be taken as an endorsement of these sites.

BER Disclaimer

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is responsible for the registration of BER Assessors and ongoing management of the Building Energy Rating (BER) Scheme. BER Assessors are independent of and are not agents or employees of The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

The rating methodology used to produce the BER reflected in the BER Certificate incorporates standard occupancy assumptions and a range of technical judgements based upon the views of various expert organisations regarding the energy efficiency impact of various building components and attributes. A building's energy rating may change over time due to many factors including deterioration or modification to the fabric of the building, changes to the heating systems incorporating into the building or changes to the way in which buildings are rated. 

A building's energy rating is only a guide to its overall energy efficiency.  Actual energy usage and energy efficiency will depend on how occupants operate the building.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland does not endorse or guarantee the ratings of BER Assessors.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland does not warrant and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, completeness or merit of any BER Certificate or any material or advice provided by BER Assessors.

Electric Vehicle Dealers List Disclaimer

The electric vehicle dealers map and dealers list (the “Map and List”) is provided as a guide only, it is intended to enhance public access to information about car dealers who supply electric vehicles and it should not be assumed to be comprehensive. The information provided in the Map and List may not necessarily be completely comprehensive or accurate, and, for this reason, it is provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis” and without warranties express or implied. 

The information on the Map and List has been supplied to SEAI by vehicle dealers or other third parties and is provided for information purposes only and should not be construed as legal and/or professional advice on any matter.  Whilst every effort is made in preparing material for publication, no responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of SEAI for the accuracy of information contained in the Map and List, nor for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on it.  

SEAI accepts no responsibility for, and gives no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning, the accuracy, merchantability, comprehensiveness, timeliness, fitness-for-purpose, up-to-date nature, reliability, or otherwise, of the information provided on the Map and List, and SEAI do not accept any liability whatsoever in respect of, or arising from, any errors or omissions or any reliance on, or use of, such information or for any loss or damage claimed to arise from any reliance on, or action taken by any person or organisation, wherever they are based, as a result, direct or otherwise, of, information contained in, or accessed through the Map and List.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 is in place to ensure that SEAI makes the information we hold available to the public.

The Freedom of Information Act gives individuals the following legal rights:

• The right to access official records held by SEAI.
• The right to request that any personal information relating to them is amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading.
• The right to be provided with reasons for decisions made or taken by SEAI that affect them.

The Freedom of Information Act also obliges SEAI to publish a specific amount of information about its activities on its website, which is known as a Publication Scheme. You can read more about that below.

Note:
There are exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act where, due to specific circumstances, the requested information will not be released. For example: to protect another individual's privacy rights. If any exemptions are necessary, the reasons will be provided and explained to you by the FOI Officer.
 

How to make a request to SEAI under the Freedom of Information legislation

To make a request to SEAI under Freedom of Information legislation, please send your request to our FOI Unit via email:        [email protected].

or in writing to:

The Freedom of Information Officer
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
3 Park Place, Hatch Street
Dublin
Co. Dublin
D02 FX65
 

In your request, we ask that you:

• Specify that the request is being made under the Freedom of Information Act
• Give as much detail as possible to support your request to enable us to process it efficiently
• Include your return address or email address.
   

Is there a Fee for making the request?

When the request is for personal information there are no charges unless there is a significant number of records.

In the case of requests which relate to non-personal information, charges may be applied if a significant amount of work will be involved in:

(a) Determining whether SEAI holds the records requested;

(b) Locating the records;

(c) Retrieving the records;

(d) Extracting the records from the files, documents, electronic or other information sources;

(e) Preparing a schedule detailing the records that SEAI is considering for release.

If the FOI Unit believes that charges are likely to arise in relation to your request, we will contact you notify you promptly
 

How is a Freedom of Information request processed by SEAI?

The FOI Unit will issue an acknowledgement to you within 10 working days (excluding Public Holidays) of your request being received, explaining .the next stages of the process.

A decision regarding your request will normally be issued by the FOI Unit within 20 working days of the receipt of your request.

In some cases, an extension of time may be necessary to complete the decision. If this occurs while processing your request, the FOI Unit will contact you and explain this requirement.
 

Can you appeal a decision?

Yes. If you would like to appeal the decision made by SEAI, you can do so by sending a request in writing asking for an Internal Review of the decision to the Freedom of Information Officer.

A fee of €30 (€10 for medical card holders) is applicable when appealing a decision and this must be sent with your written submission.

The review process will involve a full reassessment of your original Freedom of Information request by a staff member at a more senior level than the staff member who made the original decision.

If, after the Internal Review, you are still unsatisfied with the decision and you would like to appeal again, you can apply for a review to the Office of the Information Commissioner within six months of the Internal Review decision.

The fee for appeals to the Office of the Information Commissioner is €50 and €15 for medical card holders and their dependants. Find out more information here.

Find more information on our Freedom of Information Publication Scheme below.

To view SEAI's terms and conditions of purchase please download the PDF below:

• Terms and Conditions of Purchase

To view SEAI's DEAP4 Terms of Use, please download the PDF below:

• DEAP4 Terms of Use

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (“SEAI”) fully respects your right to privacy. This Privacy Notice (“Notice”) is intended to help you understand what Personal Data SEAI collects about you, why we collect it, what we do with it, who we may share it with and how we protect it in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

1.1 What is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law introduced by the European Union to give individuals more control over how their personal data is collected, used, stored, and shared. It applies to any organisation that processes personal data of individuals located in the EU or EEA, regardless of where the organisation is based.

When we talk about “Personal Data” in this Notice, we mean any information relating to you, either directly or indirectly.

The notice outlines:

• What personal data SEAI collects and processes in its day-to-day activities
• The purposes for processing
• Who data may be shared with
• How long data will be retained for
• How it is kept secure
• Your data protection rights and how to exercise them
• How to contact SEAI’S Data Protection Officer

SEAI is responsible for your information. This Notice applies to SEAI, a public authority established under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002, located at 3 Park Place, Hatch Street Upper, Dublin, D02 FX65.

The use of “we”, “us”, “our” and “ours” in this Notice refer to SEAI. For more information about us, please see our About webpage https://www.seai.ie/about/.

If you want to get in touch and seek to exercise your rights as described below, please contact us at [email protected].

Personal data means any information that relates to an individual. SEAI processes personal data belonging to its many different customers, third parties and partners. The kinds of personal data we may process include:

3.3 CCTV

SEAI offices are located in premises which utilise external and internal CCTV monitoring for security and safety purposes. SEAI does not control or manage these systems and the building owner is the data controller for the CCTV recordings. Please refer to the building owner’s privacy notice for information about how this data is processed. In the event that SEAI receives CCTV from the building owner for the investigation of an incident involving our staff or visitors we will process this data in line with our data protection obligations.

3.4 Cookies

The SEAI website uses cookies. A cookie is a small piece of data that may be stored on your computer or mobile device. It allows a website to "remember" your actions or preferences over a period of time. When you first log on to the SEAI website, a message will appear requesting your consent to the use of Cookies, with a link to further details about the types of Cookies used, as well as a link to our full Cookies Policy.

SEAI regularly reviews its processing activities to ensure that it only collects personal data that is necessary to carry out its purposes, to ensure that confidentiality is maintained, and that data is stored in a secure manner.

We collect personal data through a variety of methods to deliver our services effectively and meet our statutory obligations. The list below outlines common ways in which we receive personal data. This list is not exhaustive.

4.1 Personal Data provided directly by you

Most of the personal information we process is provided directly by you, for example when:

• You apply for a grant or participate in an SEAI programme
• You use our online tools to get tailored energy insights
• You register for an event or service
• You make a complaint or enquiry to us
• You register your services with SEAI
• You submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) or Data Subject Access Request (DSAR)
• You apply for a job with SEAI
• You are acting on behalf of your organisation
• You visit our website and consent to the use of cookies
• You visit our offices, which may be monitored by CCTV
• You contact us by telephone or email and provide personal data as part of your query
• You use our Web Chat function and provide personal data through it

4.2 Personal Data received indirectly

We may also receive your personal data indirectly, such as:

• When someone submits evidence or documentation on your behalf for example a contractor, BER assessor, or car dealership
• From Utilities companies in certain instances for verification, or as part of research projects with your consent
• When a representative (e.g. a solicitor) shares your personal data with us in the course of a query or case
• From recruitment agencies as part of a job application or campaign. Please refer to our careers page for our recruitment privacy notice.
• Through data-sharing agreements with public bodies and government departments including:
  • Local authorities
  • The Department of Social Protection
  • The Revenue Commissioners
  • The Department of Transport
  • Other relevant government departments or organisations
  • Other public or semi state bodies
  • The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI)

All personal data is processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

SEAI is Ireland's national sustainable energy authority. It was established under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002 by the government, with the goal of increasing the use and development of affordable sustainable energy in Ireland. SEAI works with householders, businesses, communities, and government to create a cleaner energy future. 

In order to perform our functions under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002 and associated legislation, SEAI processes personal data.  Our primary purpose for processing personal data is in order to process grant applications and payments. Other examples of why we process your personal data in line with and outside of our statutory functions include: 

• For programme administration
• Improving our schemes and services
• Developing new schemes
• For the maintenance of national registers
• Planning future service delivery at SEAI
• Assessing customer experience and satisfaction
• Carrying out inspections and audits
• Investigating complaints
• Conducting recruitment activities
• To meet our reporting obligations
• Conducting research and surveys
• For Statistical purposes
• Sending promotional and marketing materials
• Establishing, exercising and defending against any legal claims
• Detecting and preventing fraud and other crime
• To protect or enforce our rights or the rights of any third party
• Responding to requests from the Ombudsman, Data Protection Commissioner, the Office of the Information Commissioner (Freedom of Information and Access to the Environment) and the Gardai

5.1 Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme (HEULS)

If you apply for a loan under the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme (“Loan Scheme”), via one of the relevant SEAI grant schemes and intermediaries as follows:

• The National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (using a One Stop Shop)
• The Better Energy Homes Scheme (using a One Stop Shop)
• The Communities Energy Grant Scheme (using a Project Co-Ordinator)

SEAI may share certain information about you with Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), who are responsible for delivering the Loan Scheme. This information is used to confirm that the energy efficiency upgrade to your property has taken place and to support the management of the Loan Scheme. Information shared may include details of the grants you apply for, information about your property pre and post upgrade works and details about the energy efficiency/renewable energy measures installed and associated costs. To facilitate this SBCI provides your MPRN and in some cases the Eircode of your property to SEAI.

SBCI may, in turn, share the information provided by SEAI with other stakeholders in the Loan Scheme, including participating finance providers, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the European Investment Bank, and the European Investment Fund. This sharing may take place even where you may not have a direct relationship with SEAI (e.g., where a One Stop Shop or Communities Project Co-Ordinator applies for an SEAI grant on your behalf). For more information on how the SBCI processes your personal data, please refer to the SBCI Data Protection Statement available here.

5.2 Market Surveillance

The Market Surveillance Authority (MSA) within the SEAI is the regulatory authority responsible for surveying products that are placed onto to the market to ensure they are compliant with EU and Irish law. Please refer to our MSA privacy notice for more information.

5.3 Marketing and Communications

We may process your personal data to send you marketing communications about our services, grants, and events. We will only process your data in this way with your consent. Examples of why we may market and communicate with you include to promote our services, for conferences, webinars, in person events and workshops, or if you subscribe to our Ezine(s), or mailing lists. We may also process your personal data where you agree to take part in case studies, podcasts or other media and communication activities on behalf of SEAI.

5.4 Research

We may also process your personal data for research purposes. The purpose of this processing is to enable us to carry out our tasks as prescribed under Section 6 (1) of the Sustainable Energy Act 2002 which include promoting and assisting certain research activities as they relate to our functions.  Where personal data is processed for the purposes of carrying out research it will be done in line with the GDPR.

If you provide information to us about any person other than yourself, you should ensure that you have a legal basis for doing so and that you have complied with your transparency obligations under data protection law.

Under GDPR we must always have a legal basis for processing personal data. SEAI relies on the following legal basis to collect, use, share, and otherwise process your personal data for the purposes outlined in this notice:

• Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. For SEAI, these functions are vested in us through the Sustainable Energy Act 2002.
• Processing in compliance with a legal obligation, for example, we may process your personal data to comply with financial and other regulatory obligations.
• Processing necessary for the performance of a contract, for example, if you apply for a grant with SEAI, your personal data is used to process and administer your grant application.
• Where you have provided consent to the processing of your personal data. For example, where we process health or social protection status to verify your eligibility for some of our schemes, or when you take part in case studies, surveys or a research project with SEAI.
• Processing in the legitimate interests of SEAI or other parties, where such activities are ancillary to performing our functions under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002. For example, as part of SEAI’s internal compliance procedures for the detection of fraud.
• Processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.
• Processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes, where suitable safeguards are in place.

Where you have provided consent for the use of your personal data, you can withdraw it at any time by informing [email protected], however, this will not affect the lawfulness of processing which was carried out based on your consent prior to its withdrawal.

SEAI may share your information with third parties that assist SEAI to carry out its functions, to meet its legal obligations and in support of SEAI programmes. These Third Parties may include:

• Third parties who we engage to provide services to us such as outsourced IT and customer service providers
• Professional services to assist SEAI across its functions, including legal, HR, financial services, consultants, auditors, and record management services
• Other public authorities and bodies where required or permitted by law, such as the Revenue Commissioners, Comptroller and Auditor General, An Garda Siochana or other law enforcement authorities for the purposes of prevention, investigation or detection of crime
• Designated Local Authorities for a number of purposes including the Defective Concrete blocks scheme
• Agents acting on behalf of a property owner, for example an estate agent
• Trusted partners under agreement to support the provision of home energy upgrade services for customers
• Contractors performing home energy upgrade works under our Warmer Homes Scheme
• Researchers and research partners who SEAI may be funding or undertaking research in conjunction with

Where SEAI shares personal data with third parties it ensures that appropriate safeguards including Data Sharing or Processing Agreements are in place to protect the security and confidentiality of the data. SEAI ensures that personal data is shared with third parties only where necessary and proportionate and in accordance with the principle of data minimisation.

We retain your information for as long as required to satisfy the purpose for which it was collected as set out in this notice, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements and, where required for SEAI to assert or defend against legal claims.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your Personal Data, the purposes for which we process your Personal Data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements. We also consider regulatory guidance as appropriate. All data is held in line with the SEAI data retention policy.

SEAI takes all reasonable steps (including appropriate organisational and technical measures) to protect your personal data.

• We keep our computer systems, files and buildings secure by following legal requirements and European and international security guidance.
• We make sure that our staff, and anyone with access to personal data that we are responsible for, are fully trained on how to protect personal data.
• We ensure that our processes clearly identify the requirements for managing personal data and that they are up to date.
• We regularly audit our systems and processes to ensure that we remain compliant with these policies and legal obligations.

We may transfer your personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including countries that may not offer the same level of data protection as within the EEA. In such cases, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, such as using Standard Contractual Clauses or other mechanisms approved under EU data protection law, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

You will not be subject to decisions that will have a significant impact on you based solely on automated decision-making. There will always be human intervention into decisions based on automated processing, including automated analytics, testing, profiling. However, if this position changes, or there is a need and lawful basis to do so, we will notify you in writing.

SEAI currently uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to optimise workflows and enhance operational efficiency. 

We use generative AI to deliver tailored energy advice which can help people understand their energy options and enable them to make clear decisions, whether they are applying for grants, exploring home upgrades, or switching to renewable energy.  All advice offered is subject to full, on-going human review by trained customer service representatives.

The AI tools we use are not designed to learn or adapt based on individual interactions and they are deployed securely in defined, controlled contexts. They do not retain or use personal data to train or improve their performance. SEAI does not use AI tools to make decisions, including any decisions which would have any significant impact on individuals, such as through the use of automated decision making. The use of these tools does not impact the exercise of any of your data protection rights under the GDPR.

All processing is carried out in accordance with the GDPR and other applicable data protection laws, as well as the EU AI Act.

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights:

• The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This privacy notice meets this requirement, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the details below in the section ’Contacting us, making a compliant or submitting feedback’.
• The right to access the personal data we hold about you. The next section ‘how can I access my personal data?’ outlines how to exercise this right.
• The right to have your personal data rectified if inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to be forgotten, the right to request the deletion of your personal data.
• The right to restrict the processing of your personal data.
• The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
• The right to withdraw your consent.
• The right to data portability – to transmit your personal data to another data controller, where SEAI is processing your information under a specific lawful basis.
• The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, unless certain conditions are met.
• The right to make a complaint to the supervisory authority.

It should be noted that these rights are not absolute and in certain circumstances may be restricted or denied. For certain functions where SEAI is designated as a Competent Authority under the Law Enforcement Directive (LED), for example our market surveillance compliance activities, requests relating to access, rectification, erasure, restriction, and/or portability may be denied or limited if it:

• would prejudice crime detection, investigation, prosecution, or national security; or
• to protect public security or the rights and freedoms of others 

To exercise any of your rights or for information on how to make a complaint, please see the contact details outlined in the final section of this notice (Contacting us, making a complaint or submitting feedback).

If you wish to exercise your rights or access the personal data that SEAI holds on you, you can do so through various channels, including by email, phone, post or in person. Requests made in writing can be sent to the relevant email or postal address shown in the final section of this notice, (Contacting us, making a complaint or submitting feedback).

When submitting your request please provide sufficient information to allow SEAI to identify you,  locate your personal data and assist you with your request. 

We aim to provide a complete response, including where requested, a copy of your personal data within one month from the date of receipt of your request. In some cases, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required, up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be informed if an extension is required. 

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your request, you can make a complaint to SEAI. Additionally, you also have the right to make a complaint to the Data Protection Commission directly.

We hope that you have found this privacy notice useful. To provide feedback in relation to any aspect of how SEAI has handled your personal information, to exercise your rights, ask questions and/or if you would like to make a complaint, you can contact our data protection office by post, email or phone through the contact details below.

Data Protection Officer
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
3 Park Place
Hatch Street Upper
Dublin 2
D02 FX65

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +353 1 808 2100

16.1 Supervisory Authority – Data Protection Commission (DPC)

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint or how your request to exercise your rights in relation to how your personal data has been processed by SEAI, you also have the right to make a complaint to the Data Protection Commission. You can do so directly via email at  [email protected]. See also www.dataprotection.ie

From time to time, we may make changes to this privacy notice. Any changes to this privacy notice will be posted on the website so that you are always aware of what Personal Data we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If we make any material changes, we will ensure you are directly informed before the changes take effect.

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