What order should a retrofit go in?

The order, and the rule behind each step

1. 1Measure the house, then apply, then start

   • The grant offer has to be in place before any work starts.

     “You must have grant approval in place before you start work.” SEAI: Individual grants: Homeowner Application Guide, read 25 Sept 2026

   • Buying materials first rules the grant out too.

     “You have already either purchased materials for your individual energy upgrade measure or started your grant aided works.” SEAI: Individual grants: Homeowner Application Guide, read 25 Sept 2026

2. 2Attic and walls before, or with, the windows

   • New windows are where many people start. Done before the insulation, the windows and doors grants are not paid.

     “If you don’t have sufficient insulation, you must install this before SEAI can pay grants for windows and doors.” SEAI: Upgrading windows and doors leaflet, read 25 Sept 2026

   • Doing them at the same time as the insulation is fine.

     “You are planning to upgrade your insulation before or at the same time you are installing your new windows and doors.” SEAI: Upgrading windows and doors leaflet, read 25 Sept 2026

   • Insulating the walls brings in the building regulations, which need the attic done too.

     “Have a heating system and attic insulation compliant with the Building Regulation standard” SEAI: Wall insulation grant, read 8 Jun 2026

3. 3Group the jobs into as few applications as you can

   • One application can carry several jobs.

     “You can select multiple measures e.g. attic, wall, heating controls when applying.” SEAI: Individual grants: Homeowner Application Guide, read 25 Sept 2026

   • Every application needs its own BER afterwards, so each extra application is another assessment to pay for.

     “All grant applicants must carry out a post-works BER assessment” SEAI: Attic insulation grant, read 13 Jul 2026

   • Each offer gives you eight months to finish and claim.

     “You have eight months from the date of the grant offer to drawdown the grant.” SEAI: Attic insulation grant, read 13 Jul 2026

4. 4The heat pump comes after the fabric

   • A heat pump needs a house that holds its heat.

     “Your home must be well insulated to benefit from a heat pump.” SEAI: Heat pump systems grant, read 25 Sept 2026

   • Older homes need a technical assessment first, unless a BER shows the heat loss is low enough.

     “Homes built before 2007: A Technical Assessment is required if you do not have a valid BER assessment or if your BER Assessment indicates your dwelling has a high heat loss.” SEAI: Heat pump systems grant, read 25 Sept 2026

   • The BER taken after the insulation can be the one that shows it, and save the assessment.

     “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

   • New controls on the old boiler are a common first step. Once a heat pump is planned there is no grant for them, and the heat pump replaces them anyway.

     “The grant is not available if you are applying for, or have previously claimed, a heat pump system grant.” SEAI: Heating upgrade grants (controls), read 25 Sept 2026

5. 5Solar panels, whenever suits

   • Solar has its own scheme and its own BER.

     “The Applicant must have a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment of their home” SEAI: Solar PV scheme terms and conditions, read 25 Sept 2026

   • Each job is grant-aided once per home, so it pays to do it right first time.

     “Your home has not previously received SEAI grant support for the chosen home energy upgrade measure.” SEAI: Individual grants: Homeowner Application Guide, read 25 Sept 2026