What do A- and B-rated mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 have?

In published BERs from 2019-2026, 23% of them have solar panels, 68% insulated walls, 30% a heat pump, against 5%, 16%, 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?

Insulating the walls. Of the 3,952 sale and letting certificates for mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 above the line, it brings 30% under it on its own; any one job does it for 36%.

What SEAI grants are there for the work?

The worked plan for this house carries about €22,850 of SEAI's published grants, self-managed, against works costing about €57,530, which leaves about €34,680 to pay. Whether a grant is paid is SEAI's decision on the application.

How to get a mid-terrace house built 1940–1969 to an A or B

Insulated walls and a heat pump are what most set the A- and B-rated mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 apart in published BERs. How high a home can go depends on the house.

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A two-storey town terrace on a corner in Cork, painted fronts, a bilingual parking sign at the kerb. — Terrace houses in High Street, from Summerhill South, Cork · David Hawgood · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo credits

The numbers

A or B now: 6%
Under the heat pump line: 14%
Grants in the plan: €22,850
You pay: €34,680

The one job that most often gets these homes under the heat pump line is insulating the walls: on its own it does it for 30% of the ones above it. To reach B2, a heat pump on its own gets 21% 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 (7,454 for mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969; 4,572 with a heat loss figure, which certificates carry from July 2022). One job: the 3,952 of them above the heat pump line and the 7,094 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 mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 with each upgrade
	A or B	C to E
Solar panels	23%	5%
Insulated walls	68%	16%
A heat pump	30%	0%
An insulated floor	35%	14%
New high-performance windows	43%	4%
An attic insulated to the grant standard	39%	10%
Mechanical ventilation	5%	1%

30% of the A- and B-rated ones have a heat pump, and 68% heat with an oil, gas or LPG boiler. Their median heat loss indicator is 1.87, against 3.04 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 mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969, 2019-2026: 3,804 rated A or B, 11,408 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

86% 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 mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 under the heat pump line
One job on its own	Brought under the line
Insulating the walls	30%
Topping up the attic	7%
Replacing the windows	5%
Blocking unused chimneys and flues	2%
Draught-proofing	1%
Any one of them	36%

The 3,952 certificates for a sale or letting for mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 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 mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 to B2
One job on its own	Reach B2
A heat pump	21%
Solar panels	15%
Insulating the walls	0%
Topping up the attic	0%
Replacing the windows	0%
Any one of them	24%

The 7,094 certificates for a sale or letting for mid-terrace houses built 1940–1969 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 · €275

2Attic insulation€1,400 grant · €2,200
2External wall insulation (the wrap)€3,500 grant · €14,000
2Windows€1,800 grant · €4,650
2External doors€1,600 grant · €4,230
2Airtightnessno grant · €1,600
2Mechanical ventilationno grant · €4,000

3Heat pump technical assessment€200 grant · €500
3Heat pump (air to water)€6,500 grant · €16,000
3Radiators and pipework for the heat pump€2,000 grant
3Renewable heat bonus€4,000 grant

4Solar panels (PV)€1,800 grant · €9,250

Self-managed: about €22,850 in grants against works of about €57,530, leaving about €34,680 to pay.

Attic insulation: Attic insulation grant, read 13 Jul 2026 · External wall insulation (the wrap): Wall insulation grant, read 8 Jun 2026 · Windows: Windows and doors grant, read 13 Jul 2026 · External doors: Windows and doors grant, read 13 Jul 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