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What's changed · SEAI grants, rules and dates · checked 10 Oct 2026

The heat pump grant for a house is now up to €14,500

It was up to €12,500 until 29 September. The grant for the heat pump itself rose from €6,500 to €10,500, and the old €4,000 bonus became a €2,000 boiler scrappage grant, paid when a heat pump replaces an oil or gas boiler, storage heaters or solid fuel. A €600 battery grant opens on 6 October.

An end-of-terrace Victorian red-brick house with arched doorways, iron railings and a later attic dormer, on a quiet Drumcondra street in evening sun.

Brick terraces on Woodville Road. Since 27 July, a heat pump can go on the front of a house like these without planning permission, if it meets five conditions.

Brick houses on Woodville Road · Chris Rycroft · CC BY 2.0

See your grants for a heat pump, and what you’d pay

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€14,500

Most a house can get in heat pump grants

SEAI heat pump page · from 29 Sep 2026

SEAI rule
before 29 Sep€12,500

+€2,000 for a house

€600

Battery grant, for 5 kWh or more, from 6 Oct

SEAI battery page

SEAI rule

€9,000

Most for solar panels and a battery, on certain welfare payments

SEAI solar page · from 6 Oct 2026

SEAI rule

82days

Until the Home Energy Upgrade Loan closes

Closes 31 Dec 2026 · SBCI

Published figure

Updated · grants checked · our dated copies of SEAI pages from 25 Sep 2026 · How we know · Corrections

Where this sits · the grant steps

Grant changes apply from the date SEAI sets. Last time, open applications got the higher amount automatically.

  1. Assessa BER, or a home energy assessment
  2. Applyonline, before any work starts
  3. ApproveSEAI's offer lasts 8 months
  4. Worksby an SEAI-registered contractor
  5. Claimpost-works BER and forms
  6. Paid4–6 weeks after complete paperwork
  1. The idea behind itApply, approve, works and payment are different steps
  2. You are hereWhat's changed
  3. Next questionShould you wait for the Budget before you apply?

SEAI's grants changed on five dates in 2026

Grant amounts, rules and dates that change what you can get, newest first. Each row says what it means for you.

What changed, newest first, with what it means for you, the source and where to read more
WhenWhat changed, and what it means for youSourceRead more
Heat pump grant: up to €14,500 for a house.SEAI ruleWas €6,500 for the heat pump, €2,000 for radiators or pipework and a €4,000 bonus: up to €12,500. Now up to €10,500, €2,000 and a €2,000 boiler scrappage grant. Apartments: up to €11,500.For you: Already applied? SEAI says the extra €2,000 is added automatically. The One Stop Shop grant table still shows the old amounts, so ask yours which it uses.Government announcement, 29 Sep 2026 · seai.ie heat pump page, read 10 Oct 2026The boiler scrappage grantThe heat pump grant
A €600 battery grant, open from 6 October.SEAI ruleFor a battery of 5 kWh or more, with or without solar panels, in a home built and lived in before 2025.For you: Don't fit the battery before your grant offer arrives. Your installer must apply to ESB Networks first, which usually takes at least four weeks.seai.ie battery page, read 10 Oct 2026The battery grant
Solar grants open to homes built before 2025, from 6 October.SEAI ruleUntil now, homes built and lived in before 2021. The amount stays at up to €1,800 for solar panels.For you: A house finished in 2021 to 2024 can apply for the solar panel or solar water grant from 6 October.SEAI announcement, read 8 Oct 2026What changed on 6 October
More for homes on certain welfare payments, and for rented homes.SEAI ruleUp to €9,000 for solar panels and a battery on seven Department of Social Protection payments. Attic and cavity wall grants for homes rented under HAP or RAS: €1,400 to €2,500 and €900 to €2,300, amounts SEAI calls "proposed".For you: On 8 October SEAI's solar page said the welfare grant "is now available" and set out the amounts: €3,350 a kWp for the first 2 kWp, €850 a kWp after that. On 6 October its attic page put the HAP and RAS grants live, for landlords with an active HAP tenancy or RAS arrangement.seai.ie solar page, read 10 Oct 2026 · seai.ie solar page, read 10 Oct 2026 · SEAI announcement, read 8 Oct 2026 · seai.ie attic page, read 10 Oct 2026The welfare solar and battery grantHAP and RAS insulation grants
SEAI's One Stop Shop page asks for a B after the works, not B2.SEAI ruleThe page now reads "a minimum post works BER of B". Our earlier copy, from April, said B2. SEAI didn’t date the change; we first saw it on 29 September.For you: SEAI says the improvement it requires hasn't changed with the new scale. Ask your One Stop Shop which line it works to.seai.ie One Stop Shop page, read 8 Oct 2026Yourself or a One Stop Shop?

backfilled		88,000 grant applications so far this year.Published figureThe Minister's figure in the Dáil. In the first half of 2026 SEAI had over 67,000 applications, against just over 30,000 in the first half of 2025.For you: Applications doubled after February's grant rise. SEAI doesn't publish how long a single grant now takes.Dáil answer, PQ 13, 17 Sep 2026 · PQ 201, 28 Jul 2026How long grants take

backfilled		Free upgrades now take 23 months from applying to finished works.Published figureFirst half of 2026, Warmer Homes Scheme: 8 months to the first BER, 13 to the survey, 15 to a contractor, 23 to finished works. In 2025 it was 22 months.For you: If you're on the list, plan for a wait of about two years. The individual grants are a separate queue.Dáil answer, PQ 98, 16 Sep 2026The Warmer Homes Scheme

backfilled		A record quarter for BERs: 51,162 homes rated in April to June.Published figureThe first CSO figures on the new scale. Over 3,000 homes had the new top grade, A0, by the end of June.For you: Assessors are busy. Book your post-works BER early: SEAI needs it before it pays the grant.CSO, Domestic BERs Q2 2026, read 10 Oct 2026The new BER scale

backfilled		84,270 homes to B2 and 18,580 heat pumps since 2019: 70% and 41% of the 2025 targets.Published figureThe Climate Change Advisory Council's annual review. The 120,000 target counts "B2-equivalent" upgrades; 84,270 is homes that reached B2. Its press release says 18,550 heat pumps; the report, 18,580.For you: Heat pumps are furthest behind target, and since 29 September they get the biggest grant: up to €14,500 for a house.CCAC Annual Review 2026, Built Environment, 29 Jul 2026The numbers

backfilled		No planning permission for a heat pump on the front of a house, or for outside wall insulation up to 150 mm, within conditions.S.I. 342 and S.I. 341 of 2026, in force from 27 July 2026. The heat pump can't reach out onto a public road; the insulation can't change how the house looks against its neighbours.For you: A terrace or semi with a small back garden can put the outdoor unit at the front. A protected structure still needs the council’s say.S.I. 342 of 2026, read 10 Oct 2026 · S.I. 341 of 2026, read 10 Oct 2026Heat pump planningOutside wall planning

backfilled		€647m of carbon tax planned for home and community retrofit in 2027.Published figureThe Minister's answer: 62% of the Department's €1.049bn capital budget for 2027 goes to SEAI's retrofit programme.For you: Budget 2027 sets the real figure. It goes in this log, with its source, when it's published.Dáil answer, PQ 194, 2 Jul 2026Budget 2027 and SEAI grants

backfilled		The new BER scale: A0 to G, with no sub-grades.Energy rating A0Energy rating AEnergy rating BEnergy rating CEnergy rating DEnergy rating EEnergy rating FEnergy rating GS.I. 168 of 2026. Below C the bands got tighter, so 96% of homes rated F on the old scale would be a G now.For you: Your old certificate still counts for ten years from its date. A new one can show a lower letter for the same house.S.I. 168 of 2026, read 10 Oct 2026 · CSO notes, read 10 Oct 2026The new BER scale

backfilled		The 1 May carbon tax rise on home heating fuels put back to 14 October.Published figureKerosene heating oil, natural gas and solid fuels. The Department of Finance’s tax paper for Budget 2027 records the deferral.For you: Oil and gas get dearer on 14 October unless the Budget moves the date again. Carbon tax also pays for most of the retrofit grants.Department of Finance, TSG 26/09, read 6 Oct 2026What the carbon tax adds

backfilled		First-time buyers and homes on welfare payments: attic grant up to €2,500.SEAI ruleA higher fixed grant, from €1,400 for an apartment to €2,500 for a detached house.For you: For first-time buyers it covers a second-hand home bought on or after 1 January 2025.seai.ie attic page, Internet Archive copy, 10 Mar 2026The first-time buyer attic grant

backfilled		A grant for new windows and doors.SEAI ruleUp to €4,000 for windows (€1,500 for an apartment), and €800 a door for up to two. Before this, only One Stop Shops could pay it.For you: It is paid once per home, and the home must hold heat well enough after the works.seai.ie windows page, Internet Archive copy, 27 Jan 2026The windows grant

backfilled		A higher cavity wall grant for homes on welfare payments.SEAI rule€900 to €2,300, depending on the house type. Homeowners on qualifying welfare payments keep their place on the free-upgrade list.For you: If you're waiting for free upgrades, you can do the cavity walls now without losing your place.seai.ie wall page, Internet Archive copy, 7 Apr 2026The cavity wall grant

backfilled		Heat pump package up to €12,500; attic and cavity grants rise.SEAI ruleA semi-detached house went to €1,500 for the attic and €1,300 for cavity walls, from €1,300 and €1,200. The heat pump grant gained €2,000 for radiators or pipework and a €4,000 bonus for replacing a fossil or storage system.For you: SEAI said open applications would get the higher amounts. It did the same on 29 September.seai.ie heat pump page, Internet Archive copy, 22 Feb 2026Should you wait for the Budget?

backfilled		Solar panel grant cut to up to €1,800.SEAI ruleFrom up to €2,100: now €700 a kWp to 2 kWp, then €200 a kWp to 4 kWp. SEAI held it at €1,800 for 2026.For you: A 4 kWp system gets the most; the grant stops growing there.seai.ie solar page, Internet Archive copy, 17 Jan 2025The solar panel grant

backfilled		Free upgrades stop paying for new oil and gas boilers.Published figureAn EU rule from 1 January 2025. In 2024 the Warmer Homes Scheme fitted 1,989 boilers and 49 heat pumps.For you: Neither the free-upgrade scheme nor any SEAI grant pays for a new oil or gas boiler now.Dáil answer, PQ 71, 22 Jan 2025Is there a boiler grant?

backfilled		The Home Energy Upgrade Loan opens: €5,000 to €75,000 at low rates.Published figureA €500m Government-backed scheme for works done with SEAI grants through a One Stop Shop, over up to 10 years.For you: It closes on 31 December 2026, or sooner if the money runs out.Dáil answer, PQ 177, 30 Apr 2024 · SBCI loan page, read 10 Oct 2026The loan without a One Stop Shop?

backfilled		Solar panel grant cut to up to €2,100.SEAI ruleFrom up to €2,400: €800 a kWp to 2 kWp, then €250 a kWp to 4 kWp.For you: SEAI cut it again a year later, to €1,800.seai.ie solar page, Internet Archive copy, 2 Jan 2024The solar panel grant

backfilled		National Retrofitting Scheme: heat pump grant €6,500, attic and cavity grants tripled.SEAI ruleThe heat pump grant rose from €3,500 to €6,500; a semi-detached house's attic grant from €400 to €1,300. One Stop Shops opened, and the battery grant and the bonus for a third job ended.For you: Grants have risen in steps since. The last two rises reached applications already open.seai.ie insulation grants page, Internet Archive copy, 30 Mar 2022Every grant today

backfilled		Solar grant restructured, with a €600 battery grant.SEAI rule€900 a kWp to 2 kWp; above that, €300 a kWp only with a battery. The most went from €3,800 to €3,000.For you: That battery grant ended in 2022. A new one opened on 6 October 2026, at the same €600.seai.ie solar page, Internet Archive copy, 12 Feb 2020The battery grant

23 changes logged. Rows before 25 September 2026, when our dated copies of SEAI’s pages start, are backfilled (18 of them) from Internet Archive copies, Dáil answers and our decision log, and say so.

What to watch: The carbon tax rise is Wednesday 14 October

Dates that could change your grant or your plans: overdue first, then soonest first. We don't guess what's coming; we log what happens.

Dates to watch, with the kind of date, why it matters and the source
WhenKindWhat, and why it mattersSource
due Overdue134 days overdue: Rules for renovation passports in Irish lawAn EU law says Ireland should offer a passport that sets out a home's upgrade steps in order. We haven't found an Irish law for it yet.EU Directive 2024/1275, Art. 12 · irishstatutebook.ie, searched, 26 Sep 2026
PastBudget 2027Next year's grant money and the carbon tax. We don't guess what the Budget will bring: each change goes in the log above, with its source, when it's published.Government, Budget 2027, 6 Oct 2026 · Budget 2027 and SEAI grants
PastThe battery grant and the solar changes openSEAI says they open "subject to final implementation arrangements". If you’re fitting a battery, wait for your offer first.seai.ie solar page, read 10 Oct 2026 · The battery grant
DueThe carbon tax rise on home heating oil, gas and solid fuel, put back from 1 May, in 4 daysCarbon tax pays for most of the retrofit grants. The Budget can move this date; if it does, we log it.Department of Finance, TSG 26/09, read 6 Oct 2026 · What the carbon tax adds
Oct 2026ExpectedOur next BER fileWe move every BER number on this site to SEAI's newest file at once, then log what moved: the share rated B2 or better, the share rated G, the county ranks.SEAI BER Research Tool, monthly
Oct–Nov 2026ExpectedCSO's BER figures for July to SeptemberThe first full quarter on the new scale: how many homes were rated, and how many came out A0. The date is our estimate from past releases.CSO, Domestic BERs, quarterly
DeadlineThe Home Energy Upgrade Loan closes, in 82 daysLoans from €5,000 to €75,000 for work through a One Stop Shop. 1,135 loans worth €56.1m were drawn by the end of March.SBCI loan page, read 10 Oct 2026 · The loan, explained
DeadlineIreland's final National Building Renovation Plan is due to the EU, in 82 daysIt sets Ireland's path for homes to 2030 and beyond. The draft was due a year earlier; the European Commission wrote to Ireland about it on 11 March.European Commission, infringements package, 11 Mar 2026
early 2027ExpectedSEAI's next median costsWhat each job really costs. The heat pump figure we use, €16,832 for a semi-detached house, was measured before the 29 September grant change.SEAI median costs, twice a year
DueThe next carbon tax step on heating fuelsScheduled for 1 May 2027, the usual date, after the winter.Department of Finance, TSG 26/09, read 6 Oct 2026 · What the carbon tax adds

1 overdue · 7 coming up, as of 10 October 2026. We check SEAI’s pages, the statute book and Dáil answers each week while the Dáil sits.

The news, dated

Our articles on each change, with SEAI's own words quoted and dated. Newest first.

How we track this

Found a mistake? Every fix is dated on Corrections. Method in full: How we know.

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Four questions about your home, then your numbers. Get quotes from registered contractors if you want them.

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Updated · grants checked · our dated copies of SEAI pages from 25 Sep 2026 · How we know · Corrections