What the grants are worth, who qualifies, and the order you have to do things in. Written plainly by an SEAI-registered installer in Co. Meath.
SEAI runs the grant schemes that help Irish homeowners pay for a heat pump, new radiators or better heating controls. The grants are worth real money. They are also badly explained, and the rules change more often than most people expect.
Every figure below was checked against Citizens Information on 28 May 2026, and that date is shown on this page so you can see how current it is. If you're reading this long after that date, confirm the rates on seai.ie before you budget. We install the systems — SEAI decides who gets approved.
Grant figures last checked
| Upgrade | Grant amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump system — house | €6,500 | Covers all heat pump types except air-to-air. The main grant homeowners come to us about. |
| Heat pump system — apartment | €4,500 | Same range of systems, lower rate for apartments. We fitted Joule exhaust-air units across 282 apartments at Brickfield Square. |
| Heat pump — air-to-air | €3,500 | Any home type. Air-to-air heats the rooms but not your hot water, which is why the rate is lower. |
| Renewable heat bonus | €4,000 | Paid on top when you upgrade to a heat pump. Worth building into your sums early — it makes a real difference to the net cost. |
| Technical assessment | €200 | Required before you can apply for the heat pump grant. Carried out by a registered assessor, not by us. |
| Central heating upgrades | €2,000 | New radiators and associated pipework. Often needed alongside a heat pump, because heat pumps run at lower flow temperatures than a boiler and older radiators can be undersized for that. |
| Heating controls upgrade | €700 | Zoning, thermostats and timers. Frequently claimed at the same time as a heating upgrade. |
| Solar water heating | €1,200 | Panels that heat your hot water cylinder. Not the same thing as solar PV, which generates electricity and isn't work we do. |
| BER assessment after works | €50 | One per home. The post-works BER is a condition of payment, so claim the €50 while you're at it. |
Grant approval must be in place before you buy materials or a spanner is lifted. Start early and you forfeit the grant — no appeal, no exceptions. It's the most common and most expensive mistake homeowners make on this scheme.
A heat pump grant needs a €200 technical assessment done first. A registered assessor visits and reports on whether the house is suitable. Ring us on 01 824 0836 before you book it and we'll give you an honest read on the likely answer.
The application asks for your MPRN — it's on your electricity bill — and the name of your SEAI-registered contractor. Quote Mountain Lodge Mechanical Services if we're doing the work.
The clock starts at approval. Works have to be finished and the claim submitted inside that window, so it's worth agreeing a start date with us as soon as the letter lands.
We're certified installers for Panasonic, Mitsubishi, NIBE, Daikin and Joule exhaust-air, and RGI-registered for taking the old boiler out. The grant is paid after the work is finished and our invoice is settled — it comes to you, not to us.
A BER assessor certifies the finished job and the paperwork goes to SEAI. Claim the €50 BER grant at the same time.
Send us the address and a rough picture of the property — age, size, how it's heated now. We'll tell you what's realistic before you spend anything on assessments.