New SEAI grant supports – bringing energy upgrades to more and more homeowners

A new Government support scheme has been introduced for energy upgrades and retrofitting. The package includes new and enhanced grants for homeowners across the country who are looking to benefit from home energy upgrades, and was formally announced by the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien, earlier today.

Designed to make homes warmer, more comfortable, and cheaper to heat, a new and enlarged package of grants will be administered by SEAI under the new National Residential Retrofit Plan. The new measures will see many more households benefit from homes that are warmer and cheaper to heat.

Longford-Westmeath TD and Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Robert Troy, has today welcomed the announcement saying: “This is good news for homeowners in Longford-Westmeath, who can now avail of wider grant supports to make their homes warmer and more energy efficient.

“These supports cover a range of applications within a home, including insulation, heat pumps, and windows and doors. It is particularly welcome that Local Authorities will be able to access Better Energy Homes grants.”

The National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026 will make home energy upgrades more affordable, and accessible to many more homeowner. There will be new and enhanced individual upgrades to support homeowners with their upgrade journey – including new windows and doors grants.

The scheme offers higher grants and wider eligibility making it easier for homeowners to complete deep retrofits on a phased basis that suits their budgets. There will be higher grants for homeowners on Qualifying Welfare Payments.

The scheme incorporates new support for first time buyers (of existing houses), and increased grant support for approved housing bodies and local authorities, as well as support in the community for older people.

Minister Troy said: “I would encourage homeowners in the area to look at the options available through these Government grant supports. They will deliver warmer homes and have the potential to lower household energy costs.”

William Walsh, chief executive of SEAI, said the scheme has a broad target: “Today’s announcement is a huge boost. Last year was a record year for SEAI, but now, with these new measures, we will go even further, bringing lower energy bills and more comfortable, healthier living to thousands more across the country.

“We’ve built up the industry, we have the expertise, and now we have the momentum. There really has never been a better time to retrofit your home and at SEAI, we are here to help you every step of the way.”

From 3 February:

Uplift for existing grants for cavity wall insulation and attic insulation

In 2022, higher grants were introduced as energy affordability measures, focused on homeowners who are not eligible for energy-poor grants. Recognising that costs have risen since then, grant levels for cavity wall insulation and attic insulation will be increased. These higher fixed grants will substantially reduce costs for homeowners.

Heat Pump System Grants

The upfront cost of heat pumps, and the additional cost of potentially having to replace the entire heating system, may be a barrier to some homeowners seeking to adopt heat pumps. To reduce the costs associated with a whole house heating system upgrade, and to accelerate the uptake of heat pumps, a fixed-amount grant for installing a heat pump system will be introduced. This grant encompasses the existing €6,500 for the heat pump, €2,000 for upgrading radiators and pipework and a new renewable heating bonus of €4,000. The new maximum grant of €12,500 will apply to applications already in train with the SEAI (and not yet processed for payment).

There will also be a new high temperature heat pump pilot scheme to test the suitability of this emerging technology in Irish homes. The pilot will evaluate performance of the technology and ensure that actual running costs remain affordable and comparable to pre-heat-pump fossil fuel heating costs.

From 2 March:

Windows and Doors (grants available at a building fabric standard)

A new grant will be introduced for the installation of energy-efficient windows and doors (to replace poorly performing windows and doors) for homes where the building fabric will meet or already meets a specified minimum performance standard. Many homes will already meet this standard. For others, they may also need to fit attic and/or wall insulation – measures for which generous grants are already available. Combined with attic and wall insulation supports, grants for windows and doors will bring increased levels of comfort (as well as bringing a significant number of homes to heat pump readiness).

Attic Insulation for First Time Buyers

To enable First Time Buyers of existing homes to get on the energy upgrade journey – quickly and at minimal cost – a specific grant for attic insulation for these new homeowners will be introduced. In fact, First Time Buyers will be able to avail of a higher fixed grant for attic insulation that would otherwise be the case. In many cases the grant amount will cover most or even all the total cost. This will support First Time Buyers who purchase an existing property and might not be in a financial position to progress to undertake a complete energy upgrade (i.e. a deep retrofit).

‘Second Wall’ measure

Many homeowners have previously availed of a grant for cavity or internal wall insulation. These homeowners may want to further improve the level of wall insulation – to make their homes even warmer and cheaper to heat (and to make their homes heat pump ready). At present, these homeowners are precluded from receiving a grant for a second wall measure under Better Energy Homes. From 2 March 2026, they can apply for a grant for a second wall measure (in line with the terms and conditions).

New and enhanced grants for homeowners on Qualifying Welfare Payments:

To accelerate the uptake of insulation measures for those who may be at risk of energy poverty, and to make a number of lower cost and effective measures easier to access more quickly , including for those who may already be on the waiting list of the Warmer Homes Scheme, a higher fixed-amount grant for attic and cavity insulation will be introduced from 2 March 2026 for homeowners who are on qualifying welfare payments – aligned with Warmer Home Scheme eligibility requirements. This will give qualifying homeowners the option to select these individual energy upgrades and avail of the higher fixed grant amount. In many cases, the grant amount will cover most or even all the total cost. Where relevant, availing of these new grants will not affect an applicant’s place on the waiting list for other measures (under the Warmer Homes Scheme).

For homeowners who want to upgrade their home in one go, the popular One Stop Shop service will continue to be a great option. The works will be fully managed by an SEAI-registered One Stop Shop, and there’s a wider range of grants, with the grants deducted from the cost of the works upfront. These applicants will also benefit from any of the newly announced grant increases. There are also low-cost loan options available through participating lenders.

Many of these are new or additional measures, which will be accessed under the SEAI’s (existing) Better Energy Homes Scheme. Between 2019 and the end of 2025, the Government has invested €1.3 billion to support upgrades in over 244,000 (almost a quarter of a million) homes.

For more information, see SEAI’s website: www.seai.ie/homeenergyupgrades.