Whether you’re looking to make your home safer and more accessible, or to cut your energy bills with an upgrade, there is a range of government grants available to help with the cost. I’ve put together this guide to the main schemes, from home adaptations to retrofitting supports.
Help to adapt your home
Grants are available to help older people and people with disabilities make their homes safer, more accessible and suitable for independent living. The Council administers three national grant schemes, while Council tenants can also seek adaptations to their local authority home.
- Housing Adaptation Grant. Accessible bathrooms, ramps, stair/through-floor lifts, hoists, wheelchair access and extensions, up to €40,000. For people with a physical, sensory, intellectual or mental-health disability where adaptations are needed and household income is under €75,000 a year.
- Mobility Aids Grant. Grab rails, ramps, level-access showers, stair lifts and fixed-track hoists, up to €8,000. For people with an income of less than €37,500 a year who need adaptations to address mobility difficulties.
- Housing Aid for Older People. Essential repairs and improvements, including structural repairs, rewiring, windows, doors and sanitary facilities, up to €10,700. Generally for people aged 66+ living in poor housing conditions with a household income less than €75,000 a year.
- Council Tenant Adaptations. Adaptations to Council-owned homes, such as accessible bathrooms, ramps, widened doors, grab rails and stair lifts, for Council tenants whose home requires adaptation due to disability or age-related needs.
Eligibility for the three private-home grants is generally means-tested, with the level of support depending on household income and the type of work required, and applications must be approved before work begins. If you or a family member could benefit from an adaptation, I would encourage you to contact your Local Council’s Housing Grants section to discuss your circumstances and the appropriate scheme.
Retrofitting your home
We are committed to helping reduce fossil-fuel use, tackle energy costs and improve energy security. The National Retrofitting Scheme introduced by Fianna Fáil in Government supports households to upgrade their homes, with multiple grants available to make energy upgrades more affordable, more flexible and easier to access.
We recently introduced a new €2,000 boiler-scrappage scheme, increased solar and insulation grants, battery support, and stronger assistance for households experiencing or at risk of energy poverty. Households could save up to €878 a year if opting for solar and battery storage. These changes are delivered through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
Retrofit grants at a glance
- Warmer Homes Scheme. Fully funded by SEAI for qualifying homes built and occupied pre-2006, covering solar PV + battery (up to 4kWp / 5kWh) and all upgrade costs for homeowners on certain welfare payments such as Fuel Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Disability Allowance.
- Social Protection Support. Up to €9,000 for solar PV + battery for eligible homeowners in receipt of certain Department of Social Protection payments.
- RAS tenancies. Up to €9,000, providing 100% median-cost grants for solar PV (up to 4kWp) and battery (5kWh) systems.
- Medically Vulnerable Scheme. Solar PV + battery, up to 4kWp systems with 5kWh battery storage.
- Boiler scrappage scheme. €2,000 for houses built pre-2021 (an additional €2,000 if scrapping a boiler under the wider upgrade grants).
- Home battery grant. €600 for home battery energy storage systems.
- Solar PV / solar thermal grants. Worth €1,800, now extended to houses built and occupied pre-2025.
- Attic insulation. €1,400–€2,500 for homes in HAP/RAS tenancies.
- Cavity wall insulation. €900–€2,300 for homes in HAP/RAS tenancies.
Individual Energy Upgrade Grants
Individual Energy Upgrade Grants let homeowners improve their homes one step at a time: you choose the improvements, obtain quotes from SEAI-registered contractors, apply for the relevant grant and manage the work yourself. The actual grant depends on the measure and, for some measures, the type of property.
| Measure | Apartment | Mid-terrace | Semi-D / end-terrace | Detached |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attic insulation | €1,100 | €1,400 | €1,500 | €2,000 |
| Attic (first-time buyer / welfare) | €1,400 | €1,800 | €1,900 | €2,500 |
| Cavity wall | €700 | €850 | €1,300 | €1,800 |
| Solar PV (max) | €1,800 | €1,800 | €1,800 | €1,800 |
| Dry lining | €1,500 | €2,000 | €3,500 | €4,500 |
| External walls | €3,000 | €3,500 | €6,000 | €8,000 |
| Doors (2 max) | 2 × €800 | 2 × €800 | 2 × €800 | 2 × €800 |
| Windows | €1,500 | €1,800 | €3,000 | €4,000 |
| Heat pump | €9,500 | €12,500 | €12,500 | €12,500 |
An enhanced attic insulation grant is available for first-time buyers and welfare recipients. Homes must generally have been built and occupied before 2011 for insulation, windows and doors, before 2021 for heat pumps, and before 2025 for solar and battery storage.
Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme
The Government-backed Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme can help eligible homeowners finance the cost of an energy upgrade alongside an SEAI grant: borrow from €5,000 to €75,000, repay over 1–10 years, with no security or personal guarantee required. Interest rates vary between participating lenders, including AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, An Post Money and participating credit unions — check sbci.gov.ie for details. The scheme is currently available until 31 December 2026, or until the available funding is fully allocated.
Don’t delay
Demand for the Warmer Homes Scheme is very high, and it currently takes 24 to 26 months from application to completion. If you think you are eligible, apply now — and in the meantime, you can still apply for individual grants (such as up to €2,500 for attic insulation and €2,300 for wall insulation) while staying on the free Warmer Homes Scheme waiting list.
Make sure you are also getting all the other supports available, including the Fuel Allowance and the Additional Needs Payment, which is available for households experiencing difficulty.
Please contact me for more information on (01) 969 2020 or shay.brennan@oireachtas.ie.