There are more house renovation grants available in Ireland right now than at any point in the past decade, and most homeowners are not claiming everything they are entitled to. The total available support on a single project can run well into five figures. This guide covers every active scheme in 2026, what each pays, who qualifies, and which can be combined.
SEAI Better Energy Homes: Individual Energy Upgrade Grants
The most widely used grant scheme in Ireland. Available to any homeowner of a property built and occupied before 2011 (before 2021 for heat pumps and solar). No means test, no income limit. You choose which measures to do, hire an SEAI-registered contractor, and claim after the work is complete.
Current grant amounts as of April 2026:
| Upgrade | Maximum Grant (Detached House) |
|---|---|
| Attic insulation | €2,000 |
| Cavity wall insulation | €1,700 |
| External wall insulation | €8,000 |
| Internal wall insulation | €4,500 |
| Heat pump system | €12,500 |
| Solar thermal (water heating) | €1,200 |
| Solar PV panels | €1,800 |
| New windows and doors | Available from March 2026 |
| Heating controls upgrade | €700 |
| BER assessment (post-works) | €350 |
The heat pump grant nearly doubled in February 2026, rising from €6,500 to €12,500. It is made up of up to €6,500 for the heat pump unit, €2,000 for central heating upgrades, and a €4,000 Renewable Heat Bonus. If you are moving away from gas or oil heating as part of a renovation, this is the most generous the grant has ever been. Apply at seai.ie.
First-time buyer bonus. From March 2026, first-time buyers of existing homes can claim an enhanced attic insulation grant of up to €2,500, designed to cover the full cost in many standard Irish homes.
Welfare payment recipients can claim higher fixed grants: €2,500 for attic insulation, €2,300 for cavity wall insulation, and a €280 enhanced BER grant. Claiming these does not affect your place on the Warmer Homes Scheme waiting list.
SEAI One Stop Shop: Full Home Retrofit
The right route if your home needs a comprehensive energy overhaul. A single SEAI-registered provider manages everything from BER assessment to contractor coordination to grant administration. The grant is deducted upfront from the project cost, so you pay only the balance rather than waiting for a rebate.
To qualify, your home must have a BER of B3 or lower before works begin and reach at least B2 afterwards. The property must have been built and occupied before 2011. For homeowners planning a full home renovations with significant energy work, this route can deliver better overall grant value than applying for individual measures separately.
Warmer Homes Scheme: Free Energy Upgrades
Fully funded upgrades at no cost to the homeowner for people on qualifying social welfare payments. Covers insulation, heating systems, and ventilation. The current waiting list runs to approximately 24 months. Since January 2025, new fossil fuel boilers are no longer installed. If you are eligible but cannot wait, the enhanced individual grants above allow you to address attic and wall insulation immediately without losing your place on the list.
Solar Electricity Grant
Up to €1,800 toward solar PV panel installation, with 0% VAT applying on top. The grant is calculated at €700 per kWp for the first 2 kWp, then €200 per kWp up to 4 kWp. A typical 10-panel, 4 kWp system receives the full €1,800.
Your home must have been built and occupied before 1 January 2021. You must use an SEAI-registered installer and obtain grant approval before any work begins. After installation, a post-works BER assessment is required before SEAI releases payment. The grant does not cover battery storage, though batteries benefit from the 0% VAT rate. Full details at seai.ie.
A separate Solar Thermal Grant of €1,200 is available for solar water heating systems, available to homeowners of properties built before 2011.
Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme
A loan rather than a grant, but included here because it is the main tool for bridging the gap between what SEAI grants cover and what a retrofit actually costs. Available through AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, Avant Money (via An Post), and seven credit unions, with rates from 2.99%. Loans run from €5,000 to €75,000 and must be linked to a qualifying SEAI grant.
Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant
For homeowners, buyers, and landlords renovating a property vacant for at least two years. The grant pays up to €50,000 for a standard vacant property, rising to up to €70,000 if the property is confirmed derelict (structurally unsound, confirmed by an independent qualified professional). On offshore islands the limits increase by 20%.
Covers structural repairs, roofing, plumbing, electrical systems, insulation, windows, heating, and internal finishes. SEAI energy works are excluded because those are handled separately through SEAI, but the two schemes can be combined on the same property. This matters: a buyer taking on a derelict Dublin property can stack the €70,000 Vacant Property Grant with SEAI insulation, heat pump, and solar grants on the same project.
You do not need to own the property before applying. Approval in principle can be obtained before purchase completes. After works are done, you must either live in the property as your primary residence or make it available for rent. If you sell within 10 years, the local authority can claw back some or all of the grant. Apply through your local authority’s Vacant Homes Officer. Full details at gov.ie and citizensinformation.ie.
The Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan can be combined with this grant for first-time buyers who cannot access sufficient mortgage finance commercially. It covers both the purchase price and renovation costs of a derelict or uninhabitable property.
Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability
Covers works making a home more suitable for a person with a physical, sensory, mental health, or intellectual disability. Maximum grant: €30,000. Covers accessible bathrooms, stairlifts, widened doorways, and ground-floor extensions. Means-tested from 95% of costs for incomes up to €30,000, down to 30% for incomes between €50,001 and €60,000. Households earning over €75,000 do not qualify. An OT assessment is typically required, with up to €300 of that cost reimbursed if the grant is approved. Our bathroom renovation guide covers accessible adaptations and what this grant covers in practice.
Mobility Aids Grant
A faster-track version of the above covering a defined list of works: level access showers, grab rails, access ramps, stairlifts, and minor adaptations. Maximum grant: €8,000. Available to households with gross annual income up to €30,000. No OT report required for most bathroom adaptations, making the process quicker.
Housing Aid for Older People Scheme
For homeowners aged 66 and over in poor housing conditions. Covers structural repairs, rewiring, windows and doors, and heating improvements. Maximum grant: €8,000. New fossil fuel boilers no longer covered from January 2025. Apply through your local authority.
Domestic Lead Remediation Grant
An underused but valuable grant for pre-1970s Irish homes, where lead was commonly used in domestic plumbing. The grant covers 100% of the cost of replacing lead pipes and fittings, up to €5,000. No means test. The minimum qualifying spend is €750.
To apply, you need evidence of lead pipes: either a notification from a registered building professional or a laboratory certificate showing lead levels exceed the legal limit of 10 micrograms per litre. If you are an Irish Water customer, apply to Uisce Éireann’s Customer Opt-In Lead Pipe Replacement Scheme before replacing internal pipes. This triggers Uisce Éireann to replace the public side connection at no additional cost to you.
If a replumb is happening as part of a renovation anyway, this grant offsets a meaningful portion of the plumbing cost. Apply through your local authority.
Quick Reference: Which Grant for Which Situation
| Your Situation | Most Relevant Grant(s) | Maximum Available |
|---|---|---|
| Energy upgrades, any homeowner | SEAI Better Energy Homes | Varies by measure |
| Full home retrofit to B2 | SEAI One Stop Shop | €30,000+ |
| Low income, energy upgrades | Warmer Homes Scheme | Free |
| Solar panels | Solar Electricity Grant | €1,800 + 0% VAT |
| Vacant property, 2+ years empty | Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant | €50,000 |
| Derelict property | Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant | €70,000 |
| Buy and renovate derelict property | Vacant Grant + Local Authority Purchase Loan | €70,000 + loan |
| Disability or mobility adaptation | Housing Adaptation Grant | €30,000 |
| Grab rails, level access shower | Mobility Aids Grant | €8,000 |
| Homeowner aged 66+, essential repairs | Housing Aid for Older People | €8,000 |
| Pre-1970s home with lead pipes | Domestic Lead Remediation Grant | €5,000 |
| Bridging the retrofit funding gap | Home Energy Upgrade Loan | Up to €75,000 at 2.99% |
How Much Can You Stack?
Many of these schemes are designed to work alongside each other, covering different scopes of work on the same property. Here is a realistic example for a derelict pre-1970s terrace in Dublin purchased by a couple:
| Grant | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (derelict) | €70,000 |
| SEAI: Heat pump | €12,500 |
| SEAI: External wall insulation | €8,000 |
| SEAI: Attic insulation (first-time buyer rate) | €2,500 |
| SEAI: Solar PV + 0% VAT saving | €1,800 + ~€1,000 |
| SEAI: Windows and doors | Varies |
| Domestic Lead Remediation Grant | €5,000 |
| Total potential support | €100,800+ |
One rule applies to every grant on this list without exception: apply before work starts. No Irish renovation grant can be awarded retrospectively. Get approval first, then build.