SEAI grant eligibility

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) offer a variety of home energy grants to help Irish households upgrade their homes with energy efficient solutions. Retrofitting works not only make your house more comfortable but can also increase your homes energy efficiency, in turn reducing your energy costs and carbon emissions.

This article will help you understand the home energy grant options offered by the SEAI.

What types of home energy upgrade grants are available?

There are a number of ways to plan and manage your home energy upgrade and grant applications.
 
Individual energy upgrade grants are the solution for homeowners who want to manage the upgrade process themselves. This option offers a selection of individual grants for home energy upgrades which are part funded with SEAI grants, up to 80% of the cost of the upgrade for a typical family home.  These grants are suitable for homeowners who want:

• To manage their own project

• To apply for the grant themselves

• To pay for full cost of works and claim grants afterwards

One-stop shop grants are a complete home energy upgrade solution for homeowners who want to carry out multiple energy upgrades and who wish to have the entire upgrade process managed for them. 

Different energy upgrade grants explained

Individual energy upgrade grants include the following grant options:

1. Attic Insulation Grants
2. Wall Insulation Grants
3. Heating Controls
4. Solar Water Heating Grant/Solar Thermal
5. Heat Pump Grant
6. Solar Electricity Grant/Solar PV

Attic insulation grants

Attic insulation is often the most cost effective upgrade you can make to your home. Professionals recommend checking what insulation lies between the ceiling joists in your attic – it should be between 300mm and 400mm. In older homes, insulation is usually non-existent or is about 100mm in depth. Insulating the attic is like putting on a hat. Heat rises, so you will see an immediate benefit from this work.

Looking at the approximate costs associated with attic insulation, Professionals have said that, attic insulation costs can be in or around €3,000 and the grant available for a standard semi-detached family home is €1,300, so the cost for you will be in or around €1,700. When you take into consideration the potential savings to your annual energy bill of 10-15%.

Wall insulation grants

Insulating walls, either internal or external, is a great way of making your home more energy efficient and comfortable and the SEAI grants will help you to reduce heat loss and more importantly, your heating bills. 

Here are some of the wall insulation grants available for homeowners:

Looking at the approximate costs associated with wall insulation, Professionals have said thatProfessionals have said that, upgrading internal dry lining can be an expensive process and can vary in price starting anywhere from €15,000 up to €20,000. The process requires adjustments to any power sockets, switches or decorations on the internal walls. It’s worth noting that in some cases, new floor finishes may also be required.

Adding external wall insulation is a very effective but can often be the most expensive option, ranging from €30,000 to €45,000. This covers the adjustment of downpipes and new lightweight windowsills.

To insulate under the ground floor of your home, including adding a new concrete slab, insulation, and membrane, typically costs somewhere in the region of €20,000 to €25,000. Lifting the floorboards and insulating between floor joists is a more affordable option, costing in the region of €12,000 to €15,000. Costs and decisions are all dependent on the ground floor area.

Grants for solar water heating systems

Solar hot water heating systems use the sun’s energy to generate heat for the water in your home. They are designed to meet about 50 to 60 percent of your overall annual hot water requirements.
 

Heat pump system grants available for homeowners

Installing a heat pump can transform the comfort levels in your home whilst reducing energy costs. Heat pumps are far more efficient than traditional heating systems with Air to water heat pumps being the most common in Ireland. 

Grants for solar electricity (PV) systems

This grant will help you install Solar electricity (PV) panels in your home to generate renewable electricity. PV or Photovoltaics is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect.  Solar PV energy will help to substantially reduce your energy needs and in turn electricity bills. Having your own installed solar energy system will significantly improve the energy efficiency of your home and deliver a significantly improved BER Rating. Solar electricity grants available:
 

* Solar PV grants are capped at €1,800 per household

Considerations when assessing Solar Electricity (PV) options:
Generally, you will not need to seek planning permission for solar panels that take up less than 50% of the total area of your roof (this approximately equates to a 6-panel system). You should consult with your local authority for guidance about planning permission if:

• Your proposed solar system is larger than 6 panels or 2kW
• Your home is a protected structure
• Your home is located in a protected area, for example, an architectural conservation area

Grants for heating controls

Heating controls are a great option to help control your heating and hot water needs to the way you use your home. There are different benefits to upgrading your heating control including reduced energy usage which will save you money on energy bills in the long run. Heating controls help you to heat your home only when you need to and upgraded heating controls are usually zoned within the home for more efficiency. With heating controls, you will be able to heat your water without having to turn on your home heating. If you live in a two-storey dwelling, you can isolate your upstairs and downstairs into two distinct heating zones to further extend your energy efficiency.

Heat pump grants

Heat pumps are renewable heating systems offering lower energy costs and reduced carbon emissions. They harness the energy from the air, water or ground outside your home, heating the building and hot water. This heating system is an alternative to the regular fossil fuel system.
 
In order to qualify for a SEAI heat pump grant, a technical assessment must be carried out in your home prior to works being carried out. This must be done by an SEAI registered Technical Advisory. Heat pumps work better in homes that are very well insulated with double or triple glazed windows. This is to make sure your heat pump is working at the optimal level and your electricity bills will be low.