With new grants out last week, here’s is all you need to know to avail of them!
Introduction (SEAI IRELAND)
The new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme provides grants to upgrade the energy efficiency of your home. When the work is completed your home should have an energy efficiency rating of B2 or above.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers the scheme and a private company manages the work for you. These companies are called One Stop Shops.
The SEAI also provides individual energy upgrade grants, if you only want to do certain home energy upgrades, and would prefer to manage the process yourself. There is also a free home energy upgrade scheme for people on low incomes.
How the process works?
You need to use a private company registered with the SEAI to access this grant (also known as One Stop Shops). They will manage the whole project for you, bringing your home up to a BER rating of B2 or above.
The company will:
Complete an initial energy assessment of your home and advise you on the upgrades you need to bring it up to a B2 BER rating or higher
Apply and accept the SEAI grants for your home
Assign a contractor to do the work on your home
Manage the works at your home ensuring that everything is up to standard
Complete the final BER assessment when the work is done
These companies deduct the grants from the cost of the works in advance, so you only pay what is outstanding. Some of these operators also provide finance options, so you have different ways to pay for the outstanding cost of the works.
Do I qualify for the grants?
To qualify for a grant you must:
Be the owner of a property built and occupied before 2011 for insulation, heating control systems and renewable systems grants
Have a home with a BER of B3 or lower before the work, and reach at least a B2 rating afterwards.
Not have already used grants for the same energy upgrades
Use an SEAI registered company (One Stop Shop) to manage the process, work and applications
What energy upgrade grants can I get under the scheme?
Under this scheme, you can get grants for:
Attic insulation
Rafter insulation
Wall insulation - including cavity wall, internal dry lining and external insulation
Floor insulation
Heating controls
Solar thermal solutions (solar hot water)
Solar PV panels and battery systems
Heat pump systems and central heating system for heat pump
New windows
New external doors
Mechanical ventilation
Air tightness
Home energy assessment
Project management
How much are the grants?
The table in this link - https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/housing_grants_and_schemes/grants_for_a_home_energy_upgrade.html - shows the grant amount available for each energy upgrade. The amount you get for each upgrade can depend on the type of home you have. For example, the grant you get to insulate a detached house is more than the grant you get to insulate an apartment.
How to apply
You should contact an SEAI registered One-Stop-Shop to apply for this new grant. The SEAI will be publishing a list of One-Stop-Shops shortly. In the meantime, there is information about One-Stop Shops on the SEAI website, or you can contact them for further details about the scheme.
Better Energy Homes Scheme
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
P.O. Box 119
Caherciveen
Kerry
Ireland
Tel: 01 808 2100
Homepage: http://www.seai.ie/
Email: info@betterenergyhomes.ie