Insulation is the highest-payback energy upgrade in Ireland — and the grants just went up. Answer a few questions to see exactly what your house qualifies for, what it really costs after the grant, and how fast it pays back.
Insulation grants use an earlier build cutoff than solar and heat pumps — the home must date from before 2011.
1. Do you own the home?
2. Was it built and occupied before 2011?
3. Are you a first-time buyer of this home, or in receipt of a qualifying welfare payment?
House type
Wall construction (most Irish homes 1940s–2000s have cavity walls; older cottages and pre-1940s houses are usually solid)
What's already insulated?
Grants only apply through SEAI-registered contractors — and for attic and cavity jobs the grant often covers most of the bill, so the quote decides everything. Get at least three.
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Attic insulation grants rose (now €2,000 for a detached house) and cavity wall grants rose (now €1,800 detached). First-time buyers of existing homes can get an enhanced attic grant of up to €2,500, and homeowners on qualifying welfare payments up to €2,500 attic / €2,300 cavity. Internal and external wall grants were unchanged.
Homes built from 2011 had to meet much stricter building regulations for insulation, so SEAI assumes they don't need it. Solar PV and heat pump grants use the later pre-2021 cutoff — a 2015 house can still get those.
If you have cavity walls, pump them first: it's the cheapest big win in Irish retrofitting (often €500–€1,000 net after grant, ~20% off heating bills). External or internal insulation is for solid-wall homes — far dearer, but transformative for pre-1940s houses, and the external grant (€8,000 detached) is the largest single insulation grant.
Often nearly. A standard attic top-up to 300 mm costs €1,200–€2,200 depending on house size; the 2026 grant is €800–€2,000 by house type. Complications (floored attics, spotlights, water tanks) add cost.
You need a BER published after the works (the contractor usually arranges it; budget ~€150 if not included). It also unlocks the next grants — insulation first is exactly how you pass the heat-pump heat-loss rule later.