The Better Energy Homes Scheme

What is the Better Energy Home Scheme?

The Better Energy Homes Scheme provides homeowners with access to grants to improve the energy efficiency in their homes.

Landlords or those with more than one property can also apply for a grant under the scheme which is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

What are the Rules?

To be eligible for the any grant funding you must be carrying out the following work:

• Roof insulation
• Wall insulation - eg, cavity wall, internal dry lining or external insulation
• Heating controls upgrade
• Installation of a high-efficiency boiler (>90%) including heating controls upgrades
• A Building Energy Rating (BER) after the energy-saving work is carried out

(you must be in possession of BER Certificate to qualify for the grant)

• Solar heating
• Use an approved SEAI approved contractor/Registered Gas Installer

For more information on the performance requirements under each of the above works please see the application guide here. 

There is also a full code of conduct and Practice and technical specification which contractors must abide by. All works in carried out must be in accordance with detailed standards set out in the SEAI's Code of Practice.

Eligibility Criteria

Any expenditure relating to work under the grant scheme carried out before the grant approval will not be reimbursed. If you have already started the work, you will not be eligible for a grant. Grant approvals remains valid for up to 6 months after the issue date.

It is advisable to carry out BER certification on your property before carrying out energy saving work or applying for grant funding. Although there is an initiation cost in doing this and you will need a second BER cert after the work is done it will allow you to better allocate your resources and act as a benchmark.

To qualify for grant funding under the scheme you must:

• Be the owner of a dwelling built before 2006
• Use a contractor from SEAI’s list of registered contractors - https://hes.seai.ie/GrantProcess/ContractorSearch.aspx
• Use newly fitted materials and products
• Have work done that complies with the required standards
• Have a BER carried out after the works are done
• Use a BER assessor from SEAI’s National Register  https://ndber.seai.ie/Pass/assessors/search.aspx

You will not qualify for the grant if you:

• are replacing your existing boiler with a typical efficiency boiler of less than 90% efficiency
• You replace your boiler but do not replace the heating controls
• The measures do not comply with the required standards
• The relevant measure (the work on your home) was already incentivised under another grant programme

.

Home Renovation Incentive

In addition to grant funding under the Better Energy Homes Scheme, you may be able to claim a tax credit on some of the cost of the work. For more information see citizen’s information document on The Home Renovation Scheme.

There is also more information on the Revenue website.

Rates:

Grants are paid only after the work is completed and you have paid your contractor.

If the cost of the work (including VAT) is less than the maximum grant amount, you will get a grant for the actual cost of the work.

For a more detailed description of the rates please see here.

If you are claiming a tax credit under the Home Renovation Incentive, the amount of expenditure that qualifies for the credit will be reduced, as outlined Revenues FAQ on the incentive

Bonuses: A bonus of €300 is payable when you have completed 3 qualifying measures and a further €100 is payable on completion of a 4th measure. The full grant history of your home is considered when calculating whether a bonus is due.

A BER does not count as a measure when calculating entitlement to a bonus.

How to apply:

You can apply online here or else download an application form here.

Online applications will get a response within 3 working days. Postal applications will get a response within 20 working days.

SEAI has produced a guide to help with your application (pdf) 

Where to apply

Better Energy Homes Scheme

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
P.O. Box 119
Caherciveen
Kerry
Ireland

Locall:1850 927 000
Homepage: http://www.seai.ie/ 
Email: hes@seai.ie