What a good rating is worth on a mortgage
Most Irish lenders knock something off the rate if the home is efficient. It is real money — but it is usually smaller than people expect, and it is not the cheapest way to pay for a retrofit. Read to the end before you top up a mortgage.
This is a description of what lenders publish, not advice. Rates move. Check the lender's own page and talk to a regulated adviser before you borrow.
What counts as a good BER rating, and where Irish homes sit
Who offers what
| Lender | Rating needed | Rate | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIB Green | A1–B3, or A0/A/B on a cert valid after 24 May 2026 | 3.15%–3.40% fixed, by term and loan-to-value | no date on page; read 8 Sep 2026 |
| AIB GreenA | A1–A3, or A0/A | from 3.00%, 3 years | same |
| EBS Green | same as AIB | 3.20% fixed 4 years | effective 24 Oct 2025 |
| Haven Green | same as AIB | 3.20% fixed 4 years | effective 24 Oct 2025 |
| Bank of Ireland EcoSaver | every grade gets a rate | 3.10% at A to 3.45% with no rating, 4 years | effective 26 Nov 2025 |
| PTSB Green | A or B | 3.25%–3.70% fixed, by term and loan-to-value | effective 20 Jan 2026 |
| Avant Money | none — same rate at any rating | from 3.20% | rates dated on their page |
| ICS Mortgages | no green product | — | — |
Bank of Ireland's is the odd one out and the most useful if your house is poor today: instead of a threshold you either clear or miss, every grade has its own rate, about 0.05% apart. Take a home from the bottom of the scale to the top and that is worth roughly 0.30% to 0.35% a year, with every step in between paying something.
Everyone else has a cliff edge. You either reach the grade or you get nothing.
The threshold moved in May 2026
SEAI simplified the rating scale on 24 May 2026 to eight grades — A0, A, B, C, D, E, F, G — and sub-grades like B1, B2 and B3 no longer exist.
Lenders now apply two tests side by side: the old A1 to B3 if your certificate was issued before that date, or A0, A or B if it was issued after. Your existing certificate stays valid for ten years, so an old B3 still counts. The new BER scale sets every old grade against its new letter.
The loan most people miss
If the point of borrowing is the retrofit itself, the government-backed Home Energy Upgrade Loan is usually cheaper than a mortgage top-up, and it is not secured on your house.
- €5,000 to €75,000, over one to ten years, unsecured
- Advertised from 2.99%, thanks to a 2% government interest subsidy
- Through AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, An Post Money and seven credit unions
- Due to close on 31 December 2026 unless the money runs out sooner
The conditions are strict: the work has to attract an SEAI grant, it has to be done by a registered One Stop Shop or community co-ordinator, at least 75% of the loan has to be the energy work, and the upgrade has to improve the home's energy performance by at least 20%.
Published loan rates read 2026-09-08: PTSB 4.15% (€5k–€14,999), 3.75% (€15k–€24,999), 3.35% (€25k–€49,999), 2.99% (€50k–€75,000), effective 15 January 2026. Bank of Ireland 3% APR, AIB 3.55% APR, An Post Money from 3.75% APR — none of the three carries an effective date on its page.
Two traps, and the order to do things in
PTSB's top-up rule. If you release equity to fund the work, PTSB apply the green rate to the released amount only, not to the rest of your mortgage. Ask every lender the same question in writing: does the green rate apply to the whole balance or just the new money?
Buying a house that is not there yet. AIB, EBS and Haven all allow the green rate where the home will reach the grade after work, with the certificate supplied afterwards. That is worth asking about on a fixer-upper — but do not assume it; get it confirmed before drawdown.
The order that saves the most money. Get the grants first, since they cost nothing and reduce what you borrow. Then price the government-backed loan against a mortgage top-up over the same term — a shorter unsecured loan at 3% often beats a cheaper rate spread over twenty years, because the term is what costs you. Only then look at whether the finished rating moves your mortgage rate.
Also worth pricing: Finance Ireland publish an unsecured green home improvement loan at 6.7% variable, 7.57% representative, up to €25,000 through registered installers — but their page carries no effective date, so check it.