Grants

Rules

Grants are available for the following energy-saving work:

• Roof insulation
• Wall insulation - for example, cavity wall, internal dry lining or external insulation
• Heating controls upgrade
• Installation of a high-efficiency boiler (more than 90% efficiency) including a heating controls upgrade
• A Building Energy Rating (BER) after the energy-saving work is carried out (you must get this BER to qualify for the grant)
• Solar heating

See the Application Guide (pdf) for summary performance requirements under each of these measures. Your contractor(s) must carry out the works in accordance with detailed standards set out in the Contractor Code of Practice and Technical Specification (pdf).

SEAI publishes detailed FAQs about the Better Energy Homes Scheme.

Rules

You must own the dwelling and live in it as your principal private residence. The lead pipes and fittings being replaced must form part of a system that carries water for preparing food or drinks or for direct human consumption.

You must get the remedial work done before applying for the grant. Any contractor that you use must give you a current tax clearance certificate. They must provide itemised receipts, detailing the work carried out and the associated costs. They must also certify in writing that any materials used, including pipes and fittings, are of appropriate quality and that a proper standard of workmanship has been applied. You will need to enclose these certificates and receipts with your application for the grant.

You must also provide evidence of a risk of lead contamination in your home. Acceptable evidence is either:

• A notification from your water supplier advising that your water system is likely to contain lead pipes and fittings

or

• A laboratory certificate issued within the previous 6 months, showing a parametric value for lead in your water supply that is over the statutory limit. The issuing laboratory must be accredited by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) for testing for lead in drinking water.

Evidence of income

The grant is means-tested – see ‘Rates’ below. You will have to provide evidence of your household income when applying. This is calculated as your gross taxable income in the previous tax year, together with that of your spouse or partner. The required evidence is:

• For employees paying tax under PAYE, a balancing statement (P21) or equivalent document from Revenue
• For self-employed people, a notice of income tax assessment or equivalent document from Revenue
• For people on social welfare payments, a statement of income from the Department of Social Protection

Rules

You may be eligible for a local authority home improvement loan if you can show the local authority that you cannot get a loan from a bank or building society and:

• Your house needs improving, repairing or extending due to overcrowding and your income satisfies the income test below, or
• You are registered on a housing waiting list with a local authority, or
• You are a local authority tenant or a tenant purchaser and you want to buy a private house and return your present house to the local authority,
• You are a tenant for more than one year of a home provided by a housing association under the Rental Subsidy Scheme and you want to buy a private house and return your present house to the local authority.

Note that the income test only applies to the first category; if you are covered by the second, third or fourth category you are exempt from the income test.

The income test

• Single-income household

If your gross income before tax in the last income tax year was €40,000 or less, you are eligible.

• Two-income households

Multiply the gross income (before tax) of the higher earner in the last income tax year by 2.5 and add the gross income of the other earner in the last income tax year. If the answer is €100,000 or less, you are eligible.