Ireland's lowest loan rate for home energy improvement loans*

Modern room heating stoves are highly efficient. Compared to a traditional open fire, they provide three times the heat and use only a quarter of the fuel. A wood burning stove with a minimum efficiency of 70% may be proposed for your home.

The installation of the wood burning stove can be carried out within a single day. After removing the existing fire grate and surround, a new metal flue liner will be installed in your chimney.

Even in Ireland's climate, solar energy can help generate electricity or heat water. You can power the electrical devices in your home, like your kettle, fridge, shower and TV. Solar thermal collectors will also reduce the amount of energy needed to heat your water, by supplying hot water to your hot water cylinder.

Normally, solar panels are installed on your roof depending on the orientation of your house and the condition of your roof. In the case of solar thermal panels, it is likely that you will require a bigger hot water cylinder.  This may reduce the space in the cupboard or room where it is located.

Older gas and oil-fired boilers waste energy and are expensive to use. Installing a heat pump can transform the comfort levels in your home while reducing running costs, energy usage and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. As part of an extensive home energy upgrade, a heat pump will eliminate your oil and gas bills.

Heat pumps can use an air, ground or water source. The most common system extracts heat from external air using an outside unit. This does not need underground piping to source heat and so is easier to install.

Air to water heat pumps are the most popular choice.  Heat is distributed through radiators or underfloor heating and also can produce hot water.  Heat pumps use lower temperature water, so it may be necessary to replace existing radiators with low temperature radiators.  This new system lets you set specific heating times and temperatures for different areas in your home.

You can lose about 10% of your home's heat through draughts and air leakages depending on the age of your windows and doors. If you've well insulated walls and attic, then the heat lost through old windows and doors will be even greater. Generally, replacement to current standards will be necessary as part of a full energy upgrade in order to meet minimum energy rating requirements.

During the pre-works survey, your contractor will measure the windows and doors to be replaced. Once the specification and costs are agreed, the contractor will send the dimensions to the supplier to be manufactured. The standard waiting time is 4-5 weeks from order to installation.

Proper ventilation improves the air quality in your home. It's very important for your health and your home itself. As the airtightness of your home is increased, good ventilation becomes essential to improve indoor air quality and reduce the possibility of condensation or mould.

If your home is going to be fully insulated and new windows and doors are installed, then a new ventilation system will be necessary. Typically, a Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) system or a Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system will be required.

What difference does a new ventilation system make?
Proper ventilation removes stale air and odours and ensures that fresh air is circulated throughout your home at all times. This does not mean your home will be colder or draughty, but that the warm air will not be harmful. You may be able to hear air coming in through the vents. This is normal.

Up to 35% of your home's heat can be lost through external walls. This heat loss can be reduced by insulating the walls to keep more heat inside your home.
There are three different ways to insulate your walls: cavity, external and internal insulation. These can be used on their own or in combination depending on your existing wall construction.  Additional internal ventilation is needed when your walls are insulated. Your contractor will assess the best method and discuss this with you before the work begins.

Cavity wall insulation
If your home has cavity walls which are not insulated or only partially insulated, then cavity wall insulation is an easy, cost effective first step to reduce heat loss.

If your home has a cavity wall, insulation is pumped into the cavity. A series of small holes are drilled in the wall at regular intervals on the outside. Insulation is pumped into the cavity through these holes.  The holes are then filled so they match the rest of the wall.

External wall insulation
For solid block or concrete walls with no cavity, external wall insulation is generally the preferred option. It can also be used with cavity wall insulation to further improve the performance of your external walls.  External wall insulation involves wrapping a layer of rigid insulation around your home, fixing it to the walls, embedding mesh in it to provide strength, and covering it in a render to provide weather resistance.

Internal wall insulation
Internal wall insulation might be recommended for your home because it has solid or cavity block walls and external insulation is either not possible (i.e. for some protected structures) or is not considered the best solution.

Internal insulation (sometimes referred to as 'drylining') usually involves fixing insulation boards to the inside of the external walls and covering them with a vapour control layer, plasterboard, skim and new painting.  As the boards are applied to the inner side of the walls, there will be some loss of space in the rooms.

Up to 10% of your home's heat can be lost through your floors. As with attic and walls, this heat loss can be reduced by insulating the floors so that more heat is retained inside your home. However, upgrading the floor insulation is dependent on the existing floor construction.

Different approaches will be needed depending on whether you have a solid ground floor, a suspended concrete floor or a suspended timber floor.  In some cases, it may be possible to lay insulation on top of the existing construction.  In other cases, it will be necessary to fit insulation to the underside of the concrete or timber structure.

Renewable energy systems generate heat or electricity from free energy sources without the need to burn fossil fuels. They include heat pumps, solar water heating panels and solar photovoltaic panels.

• Improve the comfort of your home by reducing heat loss and draughts. 
• Reduce air pollutants from entering your home by sealing it off better.
• Reduce your heating bills by increasing energy efficiency and using renewable energy systems.
• Use government grants while they are available to help pay for energy improvements to your home.
• Reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by operating a more energy efficient home.

Since heat rises, up to 30% of your home's heat can be lost through your roof. Insulating your attic space keeps the heat below the ceiling and in the rooms below, thus reducing heat loss.

If you have an attic, a thick layer of insulating material will be rolled out over the ceiling below.  The water tank and pipework will also need to be insulated, and a walkway and ventilation provided. It is also possible to insulate sloping ceilings or flat roofs where necessary. With the new insulation, proper attic ventilation is very important.  It reduces the risk of condensation build-up in the attic space, which can reduce the effectiveness of your insulation and cause damage to your roof structure.

Measure	Energy	Payback
Roof insulation	Reduces current heat loss by up to 95% through better roof insulation	5-20 years
Wall insulation	Reduces current heat loss by up to 95% through better wall insulation	5-20 years
Door and window replacement	Reduces current heat loss by up to 95% through better seals and new double or triple glazed windows	5-20 years
Boiler upgrade	Reduces current fuel consumption by 5-15% by upgrading to a new high efficiency boiler	5-10 years
Home automation	Reduces current energy usage by up to 15% through centralised control of heating, ventilation and lighting	3-10 years
Heat pump installation	Reduces current energy usage by up to 70% through heat extraction from outside air, water or soil using a heat pump	5-15 years
Lighting improvement	Reduces current usage by up to 80% by using low energy bulbs	2-8 years

There are no set-up fees with our loans. In certain situations, for example missed payments, fees and penalties may apply.

During the loan application process, we'll tell you exactly how much you will have to repay including interest, depending on the size and term of your loan.

The interest rates that apply to your loan will also be detailed on your loan credit agreement. We will assign you the appropriate rate for you based on your financial profile and credit history once your application has been reviewed.

You must be over 18 and a resident of the Republic of Ireland. The personal loan is unsecured and is subject to your repayment capacity, financial profile and a credit check.

An Post Money Green Home Improvement Loan
Loans are available from €5,000 up to €75,000 with terms up to 10 years.  The cost of the home energy upgrade work must be more than 50% of the amount you borrow.

The work must be performed by an SEAI-registered contractor and approved for grants by the SEAI in advance.  You must submit an SEAI 'Declaration of Works' document with your loan application.
 
If you are using our One Stop Shop service, SSE Airtricity will take care of all those SEAI requirements.
  
An Post Money Green Electric Car Loan
For an electric car, the minimum loan amount is €20,000 for terms up to 7 years.  The loan can cover the purchase of a new electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle for private or commercial use, as well as the installation of a home charger.  The purchase must be supported by an SEAI grant, arranged by the vehicle dealer.
 
A car dealership quotation showing the price, make and model of the vehicle is required.

We will need proof of identity, address, income and the works to be carried out in order to process your loan application.

Proof of identity

You must send one piece of photographic evidence that is in date. We accept any of the following:
 

• Passport - please make sure that when you take a photo of your passport, pages three and four are both clearly visible
• Driving licence - you can use either the old paper licence or new card format but please make sure your name, photo and the expiry date are clearly visible
• Immigration or Garda age card - please make sure that the photo you take of your card clearly shows your name, photo and expiry date

Proof of address

We will need one of the following documents, dated within the last three months:
 

• Utility bill
• Bank or credit union statement
• P60
• Revenue document
• Social insurance document
• Household or motor insurance certificate

When taking a photo of your proof of address, we need to see the full page clearly. Please ensure the image is not blurry so we can verify your address

Proof of income

To verify your income we need to see personal bank statements for the last three months for the account that your income is paid into.  These should show your name and address. Bank statements can be downloaded as a PDF from all bank websites, on all devices.

If you are self employed, you can use your tax assessment forms for the last two years. These documents, which must include tax returns and Revenue acceptance forms, can be obtained from your accountant or from Revenue.

If your income is not paid into your account, you can use a photo or PDF of a payslip, social welfare receipt, your most recent pension statement or tax certificate.

Proof of works

SEAI Grant - Declaration of Works - Part 1 to Part 2(a) to be completed by you and your registered contractor to commence your loan application.

We may request a further assessment of your financial situation to confirm that your financial circumstances remain unchanged. It is important to be aware that if this further assessment deems that your financial situation at that point is unable to support the loan we will not be able to proceed with the loan application.

Completed Declaration of Works Document following completion of works. This document is required to be submitted to finalise your loan.

We don't accept joint applications at this time but you can include income from another household member in your application, with their consent. If you do this, we will require their personal documents as well.

You need to include information about all rents and mortgages that you currently have.

The application process is online.   Documents can only be uploaded through our Document Centre. Please don't post your documents but check out our guide to uploading them online.