Could you recoup your home improvement costs?

Could you be eligible for grants towards your home improvements?

You’ve probably heard of SEAI grants for home improvements but how much do you know about them?

If you’re interested in saving some money on your energy costs in the long term (let’s be honest who isn’t?) then doing a little research into what your entitlements are could be well worth it.

In this article we highlight the main areas you may be able to recoup some of the costs of upgrading your home.

For more in-depth information on the grants available head on over to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) www.seai.ie

In the meantime, we’ve put together a broad overview for our members to help you decide whether your home improvements could be eligible for an SEAI grant.

Eligibility

Your home must be built and occupied before 2011 for insulation and heating controls, and before 2021 for heat pumps and renewable systems.

How much are the grants worth?

Attic Insultation - up to €1,500. Attic insulation is often the most cost-effective upgrade you could make to your home. On average a home loses up to 30% of its heat through its roof if it is not properly insulated.

Wall Insulation – up to €8,000. There are 3 types of all insulation which could be eligible for a grant: cavity wall, internal, and external wall. The maximum grant of €8,000 is for the more expensive option which is external wall insulation.

Heating Controls - €700. Heating controls provide a smarter way to heat your home and water enabling you to schedule heating at times and in areas that suit the way you live.

Heat Pump – up to €6,500. This grant covers the cost of the heat pump system and a grant towards your technical assessment.

Solar Thermal – up to €1,200. With solar thermal heating you are harnessing the power of the sun to heat hot water for your home to as much as 60% of your hot water needs.

Solar PV – up to €2,400. These external panels generate renewable electricity. According to solarstream.ie a medium-sized solar panel system generates around 3,000 units of electricity per year in Irish conditions. That’s enough to cover around 70% of the electricity use for an average Irish household.

Building Energy Rating Certificate (BER)

Do you know your home’s BER rating? This is an important starting point and will inform the steps you take to improve your home’s rating.

You can check the SEAI National BER Register to check your home’s rating if you don’t know what it is. https://ndber.seai.ie/pass/ber/search.aspx

If you are upgrading an older home, a 'B' rated home is the benchmark recommended by SEAI. Use this handy BER comparison calculator to see how much you could save once your home is upgraded. The results show your total energy bills savings, energy consumption rate, comfort level, carbon emissions and include an indoor air quality comparison!

If you need a little help to pay for these upgrades a Comhar Linn INTO Credit Union Loan could ease the financial pressure by spreading your repayments over a period that’s comfortable for you with our flexible and competitive loan options. Check out our loan calculator https://comharlinnintocu.ie/loans