Steps to apply for an individual energy grant

The following grants are available to homeowners and landlords who decide to manage their own home energy upgrades or apply through a participating One Stop Shop/Energy Partner. These grants are available without means testing. You can select multiple measures e.g. attic, wall, heating controls when applying.

• Insulation
• Heating controls
• Heat pump system
• Solar electricity - follow the application guidelines
• Solar water heating

Before you decide on the grants you would like to apply for, it's a good idea to:

• Check if your home has previously received a grant for an energy upgrade. You will not be eligible for the same grant twice. If unsure, please call our helpdesk to enquire or contact a participating One Stop Shop/Energy Partner. You will need to provide your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) which is an 11 digit number found at the top right hand corner of your bill from your electricity supplier.
• Check if your home has an existing BER. If yes, you should be able to access the report that was published with your BER. This report will recommend upgrades suited to your home. To check if your home has an existing BER, visit the National BER Register.
• If your home does not have an existing BER report, and you do not know what energy upgrades to carry out, we suggest you carry out a BER assessment. You will receive a detailed Advisory Report that will give you a tailored energy upgrade plan for your home.
• Talk to a building contractor, architect, BER Assessor, Energy Partner or participating One Stop Shop for advice.
• Please note if your dwelling is considered a Traditional Building. Traditional Buildings are typically built prior to 1940 and are of solid masonry construction (brick or stone walls, often with a render finish) and which do not have a cavity. Grants through the Better Energy Homes Programme for roof insulation are available for these types of dwellings. Homwever, SEAI Better Energy Homes Programme does not provide grant funding for wall insulation works on traditional dwellings. Owners of traditional dwellings who wish to upgrade their wall insulation as part of their retrofit works are directed to the Traditional Homes Pilot Scheme, Traditional Homes Pilot | SEAI.

Heat pump

If you’re considering installing a Heat Pump in your home, the year that your property was built can help determine if it’s ready for a heat pump system. Here's a simple guide to help you understand what steps you might need to take.

If your home is built before 2007

• Already Heat Pump Ready? If you have a valid Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate and Advisory Report showing a compliant Heat Loss Indicator (HLI) of 2.3 or less, you can skip the Technical Assessment. Just complete and upload the Self-Declaration form. Please contact [email protected] to find your HLI if you are unable to determine it.
• Need a Technical Assessment? If you don’t have a valid BER or Compliant HLI you’ll need a Technical Assessment. Choose an SEAI Registered Technical Advisor to conduct this assessment 

Homeowner tip: To ensure your Technical Assessment is processed smoothly, consult with your Technical Advisor about the necessary documentation for the Heat Pump grant application. Make sure the Technical Assessment is signed-off by your Technical Advisor to avoid delays.

If your home is built from 2007 onwards

• No mandatory Technical Assessment required: You can complete and upload a Self-Declaration form instead. This form confirms your home was built from 2007 onwards and meets the required heat loss levels for a heat pump installation without extra insulation work/in order to install a heat pump without carrying out additional insulation works.
• Optional Technical Assessment: You can still opt for a Technical Assessment, if you wish, but any recommended fabric upgrades are not mandatory. Learn more about the heat pump grant and Technical Assessment here.

Technical Asessment grant information

If you choose to carry out a Technical Assessment a grant of €200 is available, but only if you also apply for the heat pump system installation grant. 

External wall insulation

In some cases, electricity supply cables/wires will need to be altered ('unclipped') to allow for the safe installation of external wall insulation. Your registered contractor will advise at time of quotation or during the pre-installation site survey whether an ESB Networks Service Alteration will be required at your home. If an alteration is required, you will need to contact ESB Networks well in advance of any works commencing to request a service alteration. Please note that fees may apply and you may experience some delays as a result. Please visit www.esbnetworks.ie for more information.

Please note if your dwelling is considered a Traditional Building. Traditional Buildings are typically built prior to 1940 and are of solid masonry construction (brick or stone walls, often with a render finish) and which do not have a cavity. Grants through the Better Energy Homes Programme for roof insulation are available for these types of dwellings. Homwever, SEAI Better Energy Homes Programme does not provide grant funding for wall insulation works on traditional dwellings. Owners of traditional dwellings who wish to upgrade their wall insulation as part of their retrofit works are directed to the Traditional Homes Pilot Scheme, Traditional Homes Pilot | SEAI.

In some cases, the installation of External Wall Insulation on your house may require planning permission. Please contact your Local Authority to seek guidance on this matter prior to commencing works.

Solar PV

The application process for Solar PV is slightly different. Step by step process listed in the Apply Now section below.

If you are applying for the grant yourself, the next step is to select your contractor.

• You must select an SEAI Registered contractor
• Please ensure your contractor is registered for the type of work that they are carrying out.
• Companies/contractors are registered with SEAI to ensure consumer confidence, optimum quality of service and best practice. SEAI does not approve, guarantee or warranty a company or their works.
• SEAI recommend you shop around to get the best quote.
• SEAI strongly recommend you check references, talk to previous customers, and formalise the relationship with the contractor by having a written contract which details the works, prices, time, payment terms and warranties.
• Please note that registered Contractors can offer the Homeowner the cost of works net of the grant amount. To do this, the Contractor can ask the Homeowner to nominate the Contractor's preferred bank account with bank details on the SEAI Request for Payment form.

If you don’t want to manage the works yourself and prefer to have the process managed end to end you can choose a participating One Stop Shop here:

• Please ensure your chosen One Stop Shop is registered to participate on the Better Energy Homes scheme.

To apply you will need:

• To be the owner of the property
• The MPRN number of the property. This is a unique 11-digit Meter Point Reference Number associated with your property.You will find this on your electricity bill.
• The Name and ID Number of your registered Contractor

You can apply online or by post or via a participating One Stop Shop/Energy Partner.

Apply online

Your application should be approved within minutes. You will receive a letter of offer (subject to terms & conditions) in the post with a Declaration of Works form and Request for Payment form.

• Apply online

Apply by post

To apply by post, please download a copy of the application form and post it to:

Better Energy Homes Scheme
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
P.O. Box 119
Cahirciveen
Co. Kerry

• Download your Homeowner Application Form

Apply through a Participating One Stop Shop/Energy Partner

Another option open to Homeowners is to apply to through a participating One Stop Shop/Energy Partner. The selected company will manage the grant application process and all paperwork on your behalf.

• Find out more about participating One Stop Shops/Energy Partners

Solar PV

The application process for Solar PV is slightly different.

1. Find and appoint a registered SEAI solar PV company. Get quotes from a couple of registered companies. Choose a company and agree a formal contract with them to get the works done. Click here to view list of registered companies.
2. Apply to SEAI for grant offer. Wait for your grant offer before you start the works. Grant offers are valid for eight months. Please note the grant, once approved, is only payable in respect of the measure, size of installation and grant amount referenced in the Grant Offer. Should you wish to increase the size of your array, you will need to contact the Solar PV Team in advance of works commencing, including up to the day of the install, but before works start. Apply Here.
3. Installer applies to ESB Networks. Your installer must apply to ESB Networks to connect the solar PV system to the electricity network. They must do this before installing the Solar PV system. This application process takes at least 4 weeks / 20 working days.
4. Install solar PV panels. Your solar PV system can now be installed. You either pay the Solar PV Company or make a payment agreement.
5. Arrange a post works BER. Before your grant can be processed you must get a post works BER carried out. You must engage a BER assessor to do this. Many homeowners forget this step and end up waiting longer for their grant payment. Try to get your BER arranged immediately after your solar PV has been installed. This will speed up your grant payment.
6. Solar PV Company submits evidence of works to SEAI. Your solar PV company will give you the documentation related to your installation and they will also submit copies to SEAI electronically. Try to get your solar PV company to upload ALL documentation ASAP after the installation, ideally within 1-3 days of completion.
7. SEAI process the claim. Applications for payment can only be processed once ALL documentation has been uploaded and the post works BER is complete and published by your BER assessor. From this point onwards, please allow between 4 to 6 weeks for payment, with additional time if an inspection is required.

Grant acceptance

If you applied online you should receive your grant offer immediately. If you applied by post you should receive your grant offer within 5 working days. You then have 30 days to accept the offer. After this period you will have to re-apply. You must have grant approval in place before you start works.

• The Grant Offer, once accepted by the applicant, remains valid for eight (8) months from the date of issue of the Grant Offer notification.
  • If you or your contractor are unable to complete the works within the 8-month validity period, you can still submit all relevant documentation for processing once the works have been completed. In such cases you must ensure that you include a cover letter outlining the reason(s) for the delay in submission.
  • As long as this cover letter is included then our admin team will still review the documents and consider the application for payment.
• There is no penalty for not initiating the works within the validity period. Once no works have been started you can cancel the application at any point within the 8 months and create a new application.
• If you have not started the works within 8 months of receiving the grant offer or if you will not be able to complete the works within the validity period, please contact our help desk to cancel your application and then create a new application when suitable.

You have eight months from the date of the grant offer to complete the works on your home, return the paperwork and drawdown the grant. You can find the expiry date in your grant offer. Within this time you will need to:

• Get the selected works completed by an SEAI registered contractor or a participating One Stop Shop/Energy Partner
• Get a registered BER Assessor to complete your post-works BER assessment and publish your cert. (If you are applying through a participating One Stop Shop they will arrange this for you.)
• Return your completed and signed grant paperwork to SEAI. (If you are applying through a participating One Stop Shop they will arrange this for you.)

The Contractor or participating One Stop Shop must complete and sign the Declaration of Works form to confirm that they have completed works. The BER Assessor who completed the BER Assessment, and the Homeowner must also sign this form.

If you have any queries regarding any aspect of the process before works begin, please contact us at 01808 2004 or by email at [email protected]

Provision of Safety File by Contractor to Homeowner

Following completion of your works, it is important to hold onto any documentation supplied to you by your One Stop Shop/Energy Partner/Contractor for the purposes of inspections. SEAI perform inspections on a percentage of completed works, which can take place at either pre-payment or post-payment stage. If you have had any of the following measures installed, your appointed Contractor or One Stop Shop/Contractor must provide you with your Safety File including the following documents:

Heat pumps

• Register of Electrical Contractors Ireland (RECI) Certificate
• Commissioning Certificate
• User Manual
• F-Gas Certificate (if applicable)
• Ground & Water Collector design document (if applicable)
• Ecodesign Datasheet
• Completed Designer/Installer Spreadsheet

Solar thermal

• Safety Notice provided to Homeowner where Thermostatic Mixing Valve (TMV) was not installed
• Electrical Safety Notice
• System Documentation and Operating Manual
• Commissioning Report

Cavity and external wall insulation

• Irish Agrément Certificate for Wall Insulation Product used
• Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) Advisory Note if MEV has not been installed

Heating controls

• Electrical Safety Notice
• User Manuals

Roof insulation

• Insulation Guarantee
• Irish Agrément Certificate if spray foam installer

The Contractor or One Stop Shop/Energy Partner must supply a hard and soft copy of these documents to Homeowner for purposes of inspection.

All grant applicants must carry out a post-works BER assessment. This is required before drawing down the grant. This must be carried out by a registered SEAI BER Assessor.

Please note there is a €50 BER grant available which will only be paid to you on your first grant application.

• Find an SEAI Registered BER Assessor
• To prepare for your BER Assessment please see our BER Homeowner Checklist.

If you are applying through a participating One Stop Shop/Energy Partner they will arrange the BER Assessment for you.

Following completion of works, please submit the following documents to SEAI

• Declaration of Works Form - signed by you, The BER Assessor who completed the BER Assessment and SEAI registered contractor(s) who completed the grant work(s)
• Request for Payment form

Please see our Homeowner's Guide to Signing Declarations of Works document for help on signing the forms.

A Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) will be required from the Applicant where grants are paid in excess of €10,000 in a single calendar year.

SEAI can now process payments to Irish Credit Union Accounts.

For heat pump applications only:

The following should be provided by your contractor and included with your declaration of works form(s) and request for payment form submission:

1. Ecodesign data sheet
2. Designer/Installer sign-off form - signed by SEAI registered contractor who completed the heat pump system installation.
3. Heating Design Details form

You can submit the completed forms by email or post.

Submit by email

Send electronic copies of your completed forms by email to: [email protected]

Submit by post

Better Energy Homes Scheme
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
P.O. Box 119
Cahirciveen
Co. Kerry

Please allow between 4 and 6 weeks for all grant payments to be processed and paid into the nominated bank account upon receipt of compliant forms mentioned above.

What if your property is selected for Inspection?

Please see our Step-by-Step Guide to the Inspection Process for all that is involved if your property is selected for inspection.