SEAI 2026 · Updated March 2026
Home Insulation Grants
Ireland 2026
Poor insulation costs the average Irish home €600–€1,200 extra per year in wasted heat. SEAI will pay up to €8,000 to fix it — and the works typically pay for themselves in 3–7 years.
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Insulation grant amounts at a glance
€2,000
Attic insulation
€1,700
Cavity wall
€8,000
External wall (EWI)
€3,500
Floor insulation
Attic insulation — up to €2,000
Up to 25% of a home's heat is lost through the roof. Attic insulation is the single best value retrofit measure available in Ireland — it's cheap to install, quick to do, and SEAI covers the lion's share of the cost.
€2,000
SEAI grant
€300–€700
Typical net cost after grant
€200–€400
Annual saving
Most homes in Ireland — semi-detached houses in Dublin, terraced houses in Cork, bungalows in Galway and Limerick — have a standard flat ceiling below the attic and are easy to insulate. A contractor can typically complete the job in half a day. The recommended depth is 300mm of mineral wool insulation.
If your attic is used as a room (converted), you'll need rafter insulation instead, which is eligible for a separate SEAI grant of up to €3,000.
Cavity wall insulation — up to €1,700
Most Irish homes built between 1940 and 2000 have cavity walls — an outer leaf and an inner leaf with a gap between them. That gap may be empty or partially filled. Cavity wall insulation fills it with bonded bead or injected foam, reducing heat loss through walls by up to 35%.
€1,700
SEAI grant
€0–€400
Typical net cost after grant
€150–€350
Annual saving
Cavity fill is one of the most cost-effective upgrades available. For many homes, the SEAI grant covers the entire installation cost, making it effectively free. The works take 2–4 hours and create very little disruption — contractors drill small holes in the outer leaf, inject the insulation, and fill the holes.
Not all walls can be cavity filled — solid stone walls (common in pre-1940s homes in Connacht and Munster) or walls with existing fill cannot use this method. A survey is required first.
External wall insulation (EWI) — up to €8,000
External wall insulation is the most impactful wall upgrade available. It wraps the outside of your home in a layer of rigid insulation board covered by a new render finish, eliminating cold bridging and reducing wall heat loss by 60–80%. It also modernises the appearance of the home.
€8,000
SEAI grant
€4,000–€14,000
Typical net cost after grant
€400–€900
Annual saving
EWI is recommended for solid-wall homes (pre-1940s stone or brick construction) that cannot be cavity filled, and for homes where the cavity is already filled but more insulation is needed to reach B2 BER. It's a significant job — scaffolding is erected around the house — and typically takes 1–2 weeks.
Combined with attic insulation, EWI can move many older Irish homes from E or F BER to a C or B rating, which significantly increases property value and rental yield.
Floor insulation — up to €3,500
Up to 15% of a home's heat escapes through the floor. In older homes with suspended timber floors or bare concrete slabs, draughts and cold floors are a significant comfort and energy issue. SEAI grants up to €3,500 to insulate the floor of your home.
€3,500
SEAI grant
€0–€1,500
Typical net cost after grant
€100–€250
Annual saving
Suspended timber floors can be insulated from below (accessing from a crawl space) or from above by lifting floorboards. Solid concrete floors can be insulated from above with rigid insulation board under a new screed — this typically adds 80–100mm in floor height, which requires adjusting doors and skirting boards.
Which insulation is right for your property type?
| Property type | Best first upgrade | Max combined grants |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-D, 1960–2000 (cavity walls) | Attic + cavity wall | €3,700 |
| Terrace, pre-1940 (solid walls) | Attic + EWI | €10,000 |
| Bungalow, 1970–1990 | Attic + cavity + floor | €7,200 |
| Detached, 1990–2010 | Attic + cavity | €3,700 |
| Apartment (ground floor) | Floor insulation | €3,500 |
| Period home, pre-1900 | EWI + rafter insulation | €11,000 |
Find out what insulation grants you qualify for
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Start your free home checkInsulation grant FAQs
Can I get an insulation grant if I'm a tenant?
No. SEAI Better Energy Homes grants are available to homeowners only. Tenants should ask their landlord to apply — landlords have access to the Landlord Grant Scheme and face legal obligations to upgrade to D1 BER by 2025.
Do I need to get a BER cert before insulation works?
Not for most insulation upgrades under the Better Energy Homes scheme. However, if you're doing a deep retrofit through the One Stop Shop, a pre-works BER assessment is required. A new post-works BER cert will be recommended after any major insulation work to show the improvement for resale.
How long do insulation upgrades last?
Mineral wool attic insulation lasts 40+ years. External wall insulation systems are typically guaranteed for 25 years. Cavity fill insulation is also rated for 25+ years. All measures are low-maintenance once installed.
Will insulation make my home damp?
Properly installed insulation improves thermal performance without causing dampness. However, in very airtight homes, controlled ventilation (such as a heat recovery ventilation unit) may be recommended. Your contractor should carry out a moisture risk assessment as part of the design.