What do A- and B-rated detached houses built 1970–1989 have?

In published BERs from 2019-2026, 69% of them have solar panels, 51% insulated walls, 20% a heat pump, against 19%, 24%, 0% of those rated C to E. How high a home can go depends on the house.

What one job most often gets them under the heat pump line?

Replacing the windows. Of the 9,541 sale and letting certificates for detached houses built 1970–1989 above the line, it brings 8% under it on its own; any one job does it for 14%.

What SEAI grants are there for the work?

The worked plan for this house carries about €22,150 of SEAI's published grants, self-managed, against works costing about €52,773, which leaves about €30,623 to pay. Whether a grant is paid is SEAI's decision on the application.

How to get a detached house built 1970–1989 to an A or B

Solar panels and a heat pump are what most set the A- and B-rated detached houses built 1970–1989 apart in published BERs. How high a home can go depends on the house.

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A single-storey rural bungalow with two cream-rendered front gables, a red-brick recessed porch with a red door, a slate roof and a large lawn in front, under a cloudy sky. — Twin gable bungalow to east of Doon village · Neil Theasby · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo credits

The numbers

A or B now: 8%
Under the heat pump line: 8%
Grants in the plan: €22,150
You pay: €30,623

The one job that most often gets these homes under the heat pump line is replacing the windows: on its own it does it for 8% of the ones above it. To reach B2, a heat pump on its own gets 31% of those short of it there.

A or B, and the heat pump line: certificates for a sale or letting, January 2019 to September 2026 (16,107 for detached houses built 1970–1989; 10,399 with a heat loss figure, which certificates carry from July 2022). One job: the 9,541 of them above the heat pump line and the 15,020 short of B2. Grants and costs: the worked plan, self-managed, from SEAI's published grants and median costs. SEAI BER Research Tool, file of 26 September 2026 (CC BY 4.0 (SEAI)). A pattern across similar homes, not a fact about yours.

The detail

What A- and B-rated homes like this have

Share of A or B and of C to E certificates for detached houses built 1970–1989 with each upgrade
	A or B	C to E
Solar panels	69%	19%
Insulated walls	51%	24%
A heat pump	20%	0%
An insulated floor	27%	3%
New high-performance windows	34%	5%
An attic insulated to the grant standard	39%	31%
Mechanical ventilation	12%	2%

20% of the A- and B-rated ones have a heat pump, and 78% heat with an oil, gas or LPG boiler. Their median heat loss indicator is 2.33, against 2.90 for the C-to-E ones.

Solar PV · Walls U ≤ 0.37 · Heat pump · Floor U ≤ 0.45 · Windows U ≤ 1.6 · Roof U ≤ 0.16 · Mechanical ventilation. A or B = A1 to B3; C to E = C1 to E2, on the old scale.

Every certificate for detached houses built 1970–1989, 2019-2026: 15,631 rated A or B, 36,140 rated C to E. What those homes have, not proof of what got them there. SEAI BER Research Tool, file of 26 September 2026 (CC BY 4.0 (SEAI)). A pattern across similar homes, not a fact about yours.

The heat pump line: one job at a time

92% of these homes are above the line. The share of those that each job, done on its own, brings under it:

Single jobs that bring detached houses built 1970–1989 under the heat pump line
One job on its own	Brought under the line
Replacing the windows	8%
Topping up the attic	4%
Insulating the walls	4%
Blocking unused chimneys and flues	1%
Draught-proofing	0%
Any one of them	14%

The 9,541 certificates for a sale or letting for detached houses built 1970–1989 above the line. SEAI BER Research Tool, file of 26 September 2026 (CC BY 4.0 (SEAI)). A pattern across similar homes, not a fact about yours.

Each job is applied on its own to each certificate with a simplified heat balance, not DEAP. The model’s HLI matches SEAI’s published HLI to a median ratio of 0.997 (IQR 0.985–1.01). Method: research/ber, thresholds.

The B2 line: one job at a time

98% of these homes are short of B2. The share of those that each job, done on its own, gets there:

Single jobs that bring detached houses built 1970–1989 to B2
One job on its own	Reach B2
A heat pump	31%
Solar panels	8%
Replacing the windows	1%
Topping up the attic	0%
Insulating the walls	0%
Any one of them	32%

The 15,020 certificates for a sale or letting for detached houses built 1970–1989 short of B2. SEAI BER Research Tool, file of 26 September 2026 (CC BY 4.0 (SEAI)). A pattern across similar homes, not a fact about yours.

The worked plan, in order

The engine’s plan for the house published BERs most often describe for this age, in the order SEAI’s rules need. A plan, not a BER assessment.

1Energy assessment (BER and advisory report)no grant · €280

2Attic insulation€2,000 grant · €2,700
2Windows€4,000 grant · €10,453
2External doors€1,600 grant · €4,300
2Airtightnessno grant · €1,600
2Mechanical ventilationno grant · €4,000

3Heat pump technical assessment€200 grant · €500
3Heat pump (air to water)€6,500 grant · €17,000
3Radiators and pipework for the heat pump€2,000 grant
3Renewable heat bonus€4,000 grant

4Solar panels (PV)€1,800 grant · €11,100

Self-managed: about €22,150 in grants against works of about €52,773, leaving about €30,623 to pay.

Attic insulation: Attic insulation grant, read 13 Jul 2026 · Windows: Windows and doors grant, read 13 Jul 2026 · External doors: Windows and doors grant, read 13 Jul 2026 · Heat pump technical assessment: Heat pump systems grant, read 25 Sept 2026 · Costs are SEAI’s medians, not quotes. Whether a grant is paid is SEAI’s decision on your application.

The full worked plan, step by step

The two lines that matter

The heat pump line: a BER that shows the house holds heat well enough (a heat loss indicator of 2.3 or less) means no technical assessment before the heat pump grant.
“You do not need one if your valid BER says your Heat Loss Indicator is equal to or less than 2.3 W/(K.m2).” SEAI: Heat pump systems grant, read 25 Sept 2026
The windows grant asks for the same line after the works.
“The property must meet a Heat Loss Indicator (HLI) value of 2.3” SEAI: Windows and doors grant, read 13 Jul 2026
The B2 line: SEAI’s One Stop Shop scheme asks for a B2 after the works, plus a heat pump or a big cut in the energy the house uses.
“Your home must achieve a minimum post works BER of B2, plus either have installed a heat pump or achieved a primary energy uplift of 100 kWh/m²/yr.” SEAI: One Stop Shop: multiple energy upgrades (grant table), read 30 Apr 2026
B2 is the lower half of the old B band.
“B2 ≤ 125” Source: CSO Domestic BERs Q2 2026 — background notes, read 27 Sept 2026
Certificates since 24 May 2026 use a new scale with a single B, which covers a little more than the old B2. The figures here are from certificates on the old scale.
“On 24 May 2026 the Building Energy Rating (BER) scale was modified in line with new EU wide regulations under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The scale has been simplified from fifteen points to eight (A0, A, B, C, D, E, F, G).” Source: CSO Domestic BERs Q2 2026 — background notes, read 27 Sept 2026