How an SEAI grant actually works

To claim an SEAI home energy grant you pick a contractor from the SEAI register, apply to SEAI and wait for the offer before any work begins, accept that offer within 30 days, have the work completed and a post-works BER carried out within eight months, then send SEAI a signed Declaration of Works and Request for Payment. SEAI pays into your account 4 to 6 weeks later.

First, decide which route you are taking

There are three, and they differ on who applies, who pays first, and how long you wait. The six steps below describe the first one, where you manage the job yourself.

Fronting the cost is the part that stops most upgrades, and there are three answers rather than one. Pay it and claim it back, borrow it at a reduced rate under the state-backed Home Energy Upgrade Loan, or hand the job to a One Stop Shop, which deducts the grant from the price but costs more overall for doing the work of managing it.Compare the three, or seeregistered One Stop Shops by county.

The six steps, if you are managing it yourself

1. 1

   Find a registered contractor and get quotes

   The grant is only paid if the work is done by a contractor on the SEAI register, and they must be registered for the measure you are having done. Shop around, check references, and get a written contract covering the works, prices, timing, payment terms and warranties.

   • Registration is per measure: a contractor registered for wall insulation cannot do grant-aided roof insulation
   • Get more than one quote before you apply, because the application names your contractor

   Registered contractors by county and trade →

2. 2

   Apply to SEAI and accept the offerBefore any work starts

   You must have grant approval before you start works. Work done outside the grant offer period is not eligible for payment, and there is no way to apply retrospectively. Online applications are approved in minutes; by post the offer arrives within five working days. You then have 30 days to accept it.

   • Your 11-digit MPRN, from the top right of your electricity bill
   • Your dwelling type: detached, semi-detached or end of terrace, mid-terrace, or apartment
   • Which grants you are applying for
   • The year the home was built and occupied
   • Your registered contractor’s name and ID number, so you must have chosen one already
   • For a heat pump, a Technical Assessment or Self-Declaration Form
   • No BER. You do not need one to apply, only to be paid afterwards.

   Work out what your house qualifies for first →

3. 3

   Get the works done8 months

   You have eight months from the date of the offer to complete the works, get the post-works BER and return the paperwork. There is no penalty for not starting, and you can cancel and re-apply at any point in those eight months. Keep everything your contractor gives you.

   • Your contractor must hand you a safety file: invoice, contract, proof of payment, warranties, product certification and commissioning reports
   • Insulation work adds an Irish Agrément Certificate; a heat pump adds F-Gas sign-off and a Safe Electric completion certificate
   • You will need these if your home is selected for inspection, and for any future BER

4. 4

   Arrange a post-works BERMandatory

   Every applicant must have a post-works BER assessment before the grant can be drawn down, carried out by a registered SEAI BER assessor. There is a €50 grant towards it. No BER, no payment, whatever else you have done correctly.

   Registered BER assessors by county →

5. 5

   Send SEAI the evidence

   SEAI will not chase you for a missing form. In their words, incomplete or missing forms result in the claim being rejected and everything returned to you, which can delay or cancel the payment.

   • The Declaration of Works form, signed by three people: you, your contractor and your BER assessor
   • The Request for Payment form, signed and completed
   • A Tax Clearance Certificate, but only if you have had over €10,000 of grants in one calendar year

6. 6

   Get paid, and possibly inspected4 to 6 weeks

   The grant goes into the account you nominate, 4 to 6 weeks after correct paperwork. You can nominate your contractor’s account instead, which is how a quote priced net of the grant works. A share of homes are inspected before or after payment, and a pre-payment inspection holds the money until any rework is finished.

Who can apply

Wider than most people assume. Landlords and holiday homes both qualify.

• Owner occupiers, including first-time buyers
• Private and commercial landlords of tenanted properties
• Holiday home owners
• Companies and owner management companies
• Registered charities and Approved Housing Bodies

A company, owner management company, charity, Approved Housing Body or property management agency has to get authorisation forms approved before applying, even for one property.