Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) operates a number of programmes that provide financial support to demonstrate superior energy technologies or provide essential support in specifically identified sectors. The aim of these grants is to allow Ireland to become a leader in sustainable supply and use of energy. Funding is available in the following areas:
Domestic Grants:
Commercial Grants
Public & Commercial Sector Programme
Domestic Grants:
Better Energy Homes Scheme
The Irish Government, through SEAI, wishes to encourage people to improve the energy performance of their homes by incentivising the cost of installing various upgrade measures. The Better Energy scheme provides assistance to homeowners to reduce energy use, costs and greenhouse gas emissions and improve the comfort levels within their home.
The objectives of the scheme are to:
Support homeowners in making intelligent choices to improve the energy performance of their home
Reduce energy use, costs and greenhouse gas emissions
Build market capacity and competence by driving contractor standards and quality
Stimulating market innovation
The incentive is in the form of a Cash Grant. Cash grants are fixed, irrespective of home size, though where actual expenditure is lower than the grant value only the lower amount will be paid. Payment is by Electronic Funds Transfer to the applicant’s bank.
| Energy Efficient Works | Incentive | |
| Cash Grant Value* | ||
| Insulation | Attic Insulation | €200 |
| Wall Insulation - Cavity | €250 | |
| Wall Insulation - Internal Dry Lining | ||
| Apartment (any) OR Mid- terrace House | €900 | |
| Semi-detached or End of Terrace | €1,350 | |
| Detached House | €1,800 | |
| Wall Insulation - External | ||
| Apartment (any) OR Mid- terrace House | €1,800 | |
| Semi-detached or End of Terrace | €2,700 | |
| Detached House | €3,600 | |
| Heating System | Heating Controls with Boiler (Oil or Gas) Upgrade. | €560 |
| Heating Controls Upgrade only | €400 | |
| Solar Heating | €800 | |
| Building Energy Rating (BER) | €50** | |
*Cash Grants are set value unless expenditure is below the set value, in which case the actual expenditure will be reimbursed.
**A Building Energy Rating (BER) is an integral part of all grant applications under the Better Energy Homes scheme, whereby homeowners must undertake a BER on their home after grant aided works have been completed. A homeowner is entitled to BER funding of €50 once per home. This funding will be applied to your grant application automatically provided you have never applied previously for BER funding. You will be informed during the online grant application process if BER funding is available for your home or as part of your Letter of Grant Offer if you have applied through the post. It is advisable that you apply for and undertake all planned grant aided works at the same time to minimise the costs of multiple BER assessments.
*** From December 8th 2011 internal and external wall insulation grants will no longer be one single amount, but rather be based upon the house type.
Please note the minimum grant amount for the first application must be €400. A BER grant, where applicable, does not count towards the €400 minimum.
In the instance where a Contractor is completing works within his own home then only the cost of materials will be deemed qualifying expenditure.
Grants are claimed after the measures are completed and the contractor has been paid by or entered a financing agreement with the homeowner.
Commercial Grants
Renewable Heat Deployment Programme
Launched in March 2007, the Renewable Heat (ReHeat) Deployment Programme provides assistance for the deployment of renewable heating systems in industrial, commercial, public and community premises in Ireland. The programme is an expansion of the previous Bioheat Boiler Deployment Programme which supported woodchip or pellet boilers only.
Under the ReHeat Deployment programme, grants are available for the deployment of qualifying renewable heating systems in the following categories:
- boilers fuelled by wood chips and/or wood pellets.
- solar thermal systems
- heat pumps
Installations can be in the commercial, industrial, services and public sectors and also includes community organisations and Energy Supply Companies (ESCOs), in Ireland.
For more information log on to www.seai.ie
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Deployment Programme
The new SEI CHP Deployment Programme provides grant support to assist the deployment of small-scale (<1MWe) fossil fired CHP and biomass (anaerobic digestion (AD) and wood residue) CHP systems. It supersedes the “Combined Heat and Power RD&D” Programme.
At present the programme includes feasibility studies, to assist investigation into the application of CHP across all size ranges and technologies and investment grant support for small-scale fossil fired CHP with a capacity ≥ 50kWe and < 1MWe.
For more information log on to www.seai.ie
Low Carbon Homes Programme
The Low Carbon Homes programme is the successor to the successful House of Tomorrow Programme. It aims to significantly reduce the energy usage and associated CO2 emissions. The programme explores the technical solutions that have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from energy use in a typical new home by at least 70% relative to a “reference dwelling” built to baseline Building Regulations 2005 standards.
There are a number of basic requirements. The dwellings must reach the following targets:
- A building energy rating (BER) of A2 or better
- Achieve an energy performance coefficient (EPC) less than 0.25 (well below the current Building Reg.s figure of 0.6)
- Achieve a carbon dioxide performance coefficient (CPC) less than 0.30 (well below the current Building Reg.s figure of 0.69)
- Generate electricity onsite (for supply or export) per unit to the equivalent of 10 kWh/m2/yr (primary) or greater.
For more information log on to www.seai.ie
Incubator Programme
In order to promote business development and to bridge financial gaps faced by new sustainable energy ventures, SEI is considering funding up to ten high potential new and existing ventures through their incubation process. The Incubator Programme allows for the funding of annual incubation fees and some supplementary business-support activities for business ventures operating in areas directly related to sustainable energy and climate change. Indicative examples of priority thematic areas identified for 2008 include:
- Bioenergy
- Ocean and wind energy
- Microgeneration
- Energy efficiency and demand reduction
- Fuel cells and hydrogen
For more information log on to www.seai.ie
Public & Commercial Sector Programme
The closing date for the receipt of applications for this programme was 31st January 2007.
Financial support was available on a limited restricted basis to public sector and commercial organisations to stimulate the innovative application of more sustainable design strategies, technologies and services in new and retrofit projects, acting as both an exemplar for good practice and as a demand leader for the services and technologies involved.
Support was available for high quality proposals in the following categories:
- Generic Design Studies – Public and Commercial Sector Organisations
- Model New and Retrofit Building Projects - Public and Commercial Sector Organisations
- Energy Management Bureau Services – Public Sector Organisations
For more information log on to www.seai.ie
