Traditional Homes Pilot – Everything you need to know

What is a traditional home?

Traditional homes and heritage buildings were generally constructed in Ireland before 1940. Under the Traditional Homes Pilot, they are eligible for home energy upgrades managed by a One Stop Shop provider.

Traditional buildings are buildings with:

• Solid masonry walls with no cavity (brick or stone, often with a render finish)
• Single-glazed timber or metal windows
• Timber-framed roofs with slate or tiles, sometimes thatch or metal
• Flexible and breathable construction
• No damp-proof course

The Traditional Homes Pilot Scheme

Around 16% of Ireland’s private housing stock, or approximately 270,000 dwellings, predates 1945. SEAI launched the Traditional Homes Pilot in October 2024. The initiative supports homeowners improving the energy performance of traditionally constructed dwellings while acknowledging their particular conservation needs.

Unlike SEAI’s other home energy grant schemes which support the energy upgrades of existing homes built after 1940, this pilot introduces important flexibilities to allow for a more considered approach to protect the structure of these traditional buildings. To ensure the most appropriate energy retrofit solutions are applied, every project must be overseen by a traditional building professional i.e. a registered architect, engineer, or surveyor with recognised conservation accreditation, or proven equivalent experience. 

You are eligible for the Traditional Homes Pilot if:

• You own a traditionally constructed home (typically pre-1940s).
• You engage a Traditional Building Professional to oversee the works.
• You will carry out a whole house energy upgrade using a registered One Stop Shop.
• Your home has not previously received SEAI grant support for the measures
• Your house currently has a BER of B3 or lower

Everything you need to know

We recently discussed the pilot scheme on SEAI’s new podcast series House Warming. Our host, Kim Buckley, was joined by SEAI expert Stephen Farrell and Kate O’Driscoll and Jenny Sheahan from the Rip it Up podcast. Kate and Jenny asked their social media followers to submit questions to on retrofitting a Traditional Home and the grants available. Here’s what we learned:

There is no BER target on the Traditional Homes Pilot – an A rated home is often not possible.

Due to the age of these homes and how they were built, a different approach is applied. There is more flexibility in terms of the energy rating required to participate in the scheme. There is no BER target because in many cases, it’s not possible to achieve an A rated home without damaging or compromising the integrity of the home. On this scheme, homeowners are asked to apply energy upgrades that are appropriate for the home while remaining sensitive to its age and composition. ‘Do as much as you need to do’.

Specific materials need to be used.

Breathable lime plaster often needs to be used to allow air flow through older stone walls. Hemp insulation can be used which is breathable and sustainable. But more modern materials can often be used, such as triple-glazed windows, ventilation and heat pumps.

You can install a heat pump in an old home.

Yes, heat pumps can work efficiently in a traditional home. If a heat analysis is done and the heat pump is sized and installed correctly it can perform well. 

You need to consult a conservation expert.

Before any works are carried out, homeowners need to engage a traditional building professional to make sure that the work carried out is appropriate for the age of the home. This can be an architect, engineer or surveyor with conservation and traditional home energy upgrade experience. They can ensure that the thermal upgrades and products are suitable for your home. They will work alongside the One Stop Shop to develop a tailored plan for your home upgrade.

Sometimes remedial works are needed.

For many old homes, before any thermal upgrades are carried out, repair work is often needed to bring the house to a certain standard. This can sometime be off putting for some and this is where the conservation specialist will be able to advise on next steps. They will recommend the works that need to be carried out before the One Stop Shop can work their magic to make the home energy efficient, warm and cosy.