Support for individual energy grant applications

Under the Better Energy Homes scheme, we offer grants for individual measures to upgrade your home. There are two ways to apply for a grant under this scheme.

Option 1: Apply yourself

Choose an SEAI registered contractor and apply for a grant through our online application system. The grant is paid directly to the applicant or the contractor once both:

• Works have been completed
• Request for Payment and Declaration of Works forms have been completed and submitted correctly

Option 2: Use a One Stop Shop

If you choose a One Stop Shop, they apply and manage the entire project on your behalf. The grant is deducted upfront from the cost of works by the One Stop Shop.

One Stop Shops can also help you apply for low-cost government loans through the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme. The minimum loan amount is €5,000.

More information on applying for each grant is detailed on the specific grant pages.

To apply for a grant you will need the following:

• Your property's MPRN. This unique 11-digit number is at the top right-hand corner of your electricity bill.
• Your dwelling type (for example apartment, detached, mid-terrace)
• The grants you wish to apply for
• Your contractor chosen from the list of registered SEAI contractors
• Year your home was built and occupied
• A Technical Assessment for some heat pump grants

More information on applying for each grant is detailed on the specific grant pages.

Works not completed within 8 months

Grants offers are valid for 8 months. If your contractor is unable to complete the works in this period, you can still submit documentation for processing when the works are finished. Include a cover letter outlining the reasons for the delay.

As long as you include the cover letter, our admin team will still review the documents and consider the application for payment.

Works not started within 8 months

There is no penalty for not starting works within the 8 month validity period. If no works have started, you can cancel the application any time during the 8 months and create a new application.

Already started works before applying

You must apply for your grant and accept the grant offer before you begin works. Grant applications for works done outside the grant offer period are not eligible for payment.

Eligibility details are available on each individual grant page.

You can also enter your details into the online grant application portal to see if your property is eligible. Enter your:

• Property's MPRN which is on the top right-hand corner of your electricity bill
• Email
• Dwelling type
• Year home built
• Application type

Grants for windows and doors are not available under the Better Energy Homes scheme. They are available under the One Stop Shop programme, as part of a complete home energy upgrade. You must:

• Have an existing BER of B3 or lower
• Install a range of retrofit measures and achieve a minimum B2 rating

We do not give grants for new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, such as gas or oil. We do offer a heating controls grant of €700 to help reduce your carbon footprint. You can avail of with or without installing a high efficiency boiler.

Yes, Better Energy Homes grants are available to all private and commercial landlords. For more details, see the 'SEAI grants' section of the Supports for landlords page.

Yes, homeowners from certain islands are entitled to additional grant support for some measures. See the full list of eligible islands. 

Contact us with any questions before starting works either by phone 01 808 2004 or email [email protected].

Traditional or heritage buildings have the following features:

• Typically constructed in Ireland before 1940
• 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

To plan your upgrade, find more details in Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings. Homeowners of traditional homes can apply for the following grants:

• Attic insulation
• Heating controls
• Solar thermal
• Solar electricity PV

To upgrade your wall insulation as part of retrofit works, see the Traditional Homes Pilot. Traditional homes are not eligible for the individual wall insulation grant.

The following must first complete the relevant authorisation forms before completing your grant application. This is required even if the grant application is only for a single property.

1. Companies and Owner Management Companies must complete section 1 of the Authorisation form and the De Minimis Declaration. Send them to [email protected] for approval before submitting your application.
2. Approved housing bodies must complete section 1 of the Authorisation form. Send the form to [email protected] for approval before your submitting application.
3. Charities must complete section 1 of the Authorisation form and the De Minimis Declaration. Send them to [email protected] for approval before submitting your applications. Charities that are approved housing bodies don't need to submit the De Minimis Declaration.
4. Property management agencies must complete sections 1 and 2 of the Authorisation form, Property Management Agency Declaration form and the De Minimis Declaration. Send them to [email protected] for approval before submitting your application.

To qualify for a heat pump grant, your home needs to have sufficiently low heat loss. The amount of work needed before installing a heat pump typically depends on when your home was built.

For detailed information, check the heat pump grant page.

• Select an SEAI registered contractor.
• Ensure your contractor is registered for the type of work that they are carrying out. For example if a contractor is registered for wall insulation only, they can't be used for grant aided works for roof insulation.
• Shop around to get the best quote.
• Check references, talk to previous customers.
• Have a written contract with the contractor which details the works, prices, time, payment terms and warranties.

Follow guidelines in the Homeowner Application Guide.

• Submit your Declarations of Works forms signed by you, the contractors and BER assessor
• Submit your signed and completed Request for Payment form

Incomplete or missing forms will result in your grant claim being rejected and all forms being returned to you. This may result in a delay or cancellation of your grant claim.

Registered contractors can offer the cost of works net of the grant amount. To do this, they can ask you to nominate their preferred bank account on the Request for Payment form.

Make sure to hold onto any documentation your contractor gave you. Your contractor must provide you with your safety file. This contains the Declaration of Works forms signed by you, your contractor and your BER assessor. 

It also includes all of your additional documents such as:

• Invoice for works
• Contract for works
• Receipt/proof of payment
• Supplier warranty
• Supplier guarantee
• Boiler logbook
• Product certification
• Manufacturer/product details and datasheets
• Commissioning reports
• Other relevant certificates

Documentation from contractor under heat pump grant

After the heat pump installation, make sure your contractor provides you with your Declaration of Works Form.

The should also provide these supporting documents:

• Ecodesign datasheet
• Completed designer/installer spreadsheet
• Commissioning certificate
• Safe Electric Completion certificate
• Details of F-Gas Certified Company and sign-off
• Ground and Water collector design and installation details, if applicable
• User and installation manuals

Be sure keep these documents for inspections and any future BER assessments.

Documentation from contractor under insulation grant

Make sure to hold onto any documentation your contractor gave you. SEAI perform inspections on a percentage of completed works, which can take place at either pre-payment or post-payment stage.

Your contractor must provide you with your Safety File. It must include a hard and soft copy of the following documents if you've had these works done:

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

Roof insulation

• Insulation Guarantee
• Irish Agrément Certificate if spray foam installer

Currently, the time for grant payments is 4-6 weeks after all documentation is correctly completed and submitted. The upcoming payment dates are:

October 2025

• Monday 27th Oct

November 2025

• Monday 3rd Nov
• Wednesday 12th Nov
• Monday 24th Nov

December 2025

• Tuesday 2nd Dec
• Tuesday 9th Dec
• Tuesday 16th Dec
• Tuesday 23rd Dec

If your home is inspected and reworks are necessary, your contractor will need to make a return visit to bring the works to the required standard. This will impact payment timeframes.

Your home may be selected for inspection. We carry out inspections to:

• Maintain high quality standards and best practice
• Ensure measures implemented in your home improve the energy efficiency as much as possible

If your home is selected for pre-payment inspection, payment will remain on hold until the inspection and any potential reworks are done. See full details on inspections in section 7 of the Application Guide.

What to do when notified of an SEAI inspection

See the Guide to Inspections to get a sense of what is involved if your home is selected. You'll need to give the inspector access to your home. Make sure you have received the safety file from your contractor. This should include the documents detailed under '4.2 Safety file from contractor'.