THOUSANDS of Irish homeowners could be missing out on a little-known grant that could be worth up to €10,000.
The National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme covers the hefty costs associated with upgrading the energy efficiency of a home.
Once the work is carried out on the property, the energy rating will be raked at B2 or above.
The grant is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, who supply a private company to manage the work, known as One Stop Shops.
The SEAI also provides individual energy upgrade grants, if you only want to do certain home energy upgrades.
Homeowners can also apply for a Home Energy Upgrade Loan to help with the additional costs of the upgrades if they are not covered by the grant.
These loans are subsidised by the Government, giving lower than average interest rates – but you can only apply if you are already receiving the grant.
However, there is a free home energy upgrade scheme for people on low incomes.
To access this grant, you need to use a private company registered with the SEAI.
They will manage the project, including an initial energy assessment of your home and advise on any upgrades needed, and apply for the grant before assigning a contractor to your home and completing a final BER assessment.
The company deducts the grants from the cost of the works in advance, so you may need to cover any outstanding amount.
However, financial options are also provided.
How to qualify
The scheme is open to homeowners, private landlords and approved housing bodies.
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
- Reach a BER of at least B2 after the work and have a BER improvement of 100kWh/m2 per year
- Not have already used grants for the same energy upgrades
- Use an SEAI registered company to manage the process, work and applications
It is important to note that any property built before 1940 will be asked for a conservation architect’s advice before applying.
What does the grant cover?
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
- 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 to apply & how much can you get?
To apply, you must contact an SEAI registered One-Stop-Shop.
They can be contacted at PO Box 119, Caherciveen, Kerry, at their website here, by phoning 01 808 2100 or via email at info@seai.ie.
The grant amounts for approved housing bodies differ to those for homeowners or landlords and the amount given can vary depending on the type of property you own.
The One-Stop-Shop will assess your home and recommend the work needed.
For attic insulation, it can range from €800 to €1,500 while rafter insulation ranges from €1,500 to €3,500.
Cavity wall insulation ranges from €700 to €1,700, internal wall insulation is from €1,500 to €5,500 while external wall insulation ranges from €3,000 to €10,000.
Floor insulation is from €3,500 to €4,500, while heat pump systems range from €3,500 to €6,500.
Central heating system for heat pump ranges from €1,000 to €2,000, heating controls upgrade are at €700 and solar water heating at €1,200.
Solar PV panels range from €700 to €1,800, new windows cost from €1,500 to €5,000 and new external doors are capped at two ranging from €800 to €1,000 per door.
Mechanical ventilation ranges from €1,500 to €2,000, air tightness is €1,000 while home energy assessments are €350.
Project management ranges from €800 to €2,000.
There is also bonus of €2,000 if you install a heat pump and reach a B2 BER rating.
