SEAI Grants - Better Energy Home Scheme

The Better Energy Home (BEH) scheme provides assistance to homeowners of dwellings built before 2006 who are interested in improving the energy efficiency of their home in order to reduce energy use and costs as well as greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme is administered by SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland).

On a wider scale, conservation can reduce polluting emissions, provide employment, and reduce Ireland’s fuel imports bill. Most of our energy currently comes from oil, coal, natural gas and peat. These resources are finite, and if we continue to use them at current rates, they will run out within a small number of generations. In the meantime, the burning of these fuels releases pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to smog, acid rain and, in the longer term, climate change.

For above reasons the organization SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland) has launched a program called Better Energy Home (BEH) scheme funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007-2013 with programmes partly financed by the European Union. It provides grants to homeowners who are interested in improving the energy efficiency of their home in order to reduce energy use and costs as well as greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme is open to all owners of existing houses built before 2006. 

The types of measures currently eligible under this scheme are external and internal wall insulation, ceiling level roof insulation, rafter level roof insulation, high efficiency boilers and heating control upgrades. 

From 8/06/2010 there is a need to do also a compulsory After Upgrade Works Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate when all works are finished. For this service you can also claim €150 grant. Our company provides BER Certificates together with any finished insulation job. You don't need to search for any BER assessors. This service is also provided as separate offer. More information about our section for BER - Building Energy Rating Certificate. 

How much are the grants?
Grants are fixed for each type of measure as indicated in the table below. Grant approval must be in place before any purchase of materials or commencement of measures undertaken. Grants are paid after the measures are completed and the contractor has been paid by the homeowner. In the instance where the cost of the work (vat inclusive) is less than the fixed grant amount, the actual cost will be reimbursed.

 

MEASURE                                      CATEGORY                                                                                                                                    GRANT

Roof/Attic                                     * Roof / Attic Insulation                                                                                                                €400

Wall                                                *Cavity wall insulation                                                                                                                 €400

                                                       * External wall insulation: Apartment (any) or Mid- terrace House                                     €2,750

                                                       * External wall insulation: Semi-detached or End of Terrace                                                €4,500

                                                       * External wall insulation: Detached House                                                                             €6,000

                                                       * Internal wall dry-Lining: Apartment (any) or Mid- terrace House                                      €1,600

                                                       * Internal wall dry-Lining: Semi-detached or End of Terrace                                                 €2,200

                                                       * Internal wall dry-Lining: Detached House                                                                             €2,400

BER Assessment                          *After Upgrade Works BER assessment                                                                                   €180(1)

* Please note that services for these measures are provided by Warm House Insulation & Heating Ltd. If you have any queries about them, please contact us. 

1 A Building Energy Rating (BER) is an integral part of all grant applications under the Better Energy Homes scheme, whereby homeowners must undertake a BER on their home after grant aided works have been completed. A homeowner is entitled to BER funding of €50 once per home. This funding will be applied to your grant application automatically provided you have never applied previously for BER funding. You will be informed during the online grant application process if BER funding is available for your home or as part of your Letter of Grant Offer if you have applied through the post. It is advisable that you apply for and undertake all planned grant aided works at the same time to minimise the costs of multiple BER assessments. 

For householders who undertake three measures will receive an additional bonus grant payment of €300. 
A further additional grant payment of €100 is available for householders who undertake four or more measures. 

Who can do the work?
In accordance with the scheme's Terms and Conditions, all works must be completed by a contractor from SEAI's Registered List of Contactors available on the SEAI website.

INGLOTHERM LTD is a registered contractor under the Better Energy Home scheme. 
Our Contractor ID on SEAI Registered Contractor List is 17081 and this number should be used when you apply for the BEH Grants choosing our company. You can do it either choosing SEAI paper application form or online application form. Both forms are available on SEAI Better Energy Home Scheme Homeowner Information Page. 

If undertaking a BER assesment, these must be completed by a registered BER assessor. For arranging a BER assessment please contact directly our SEAI Registered BER Assessor. 

How work should be done?
It is very important to ensure appropriate effectiveness of an insulating material. This is measured using a U-value. Insulation installed correctly will have a low U-value as it will allow only small amounts of heat to pass through, thereby keeping your home warm. The Building Regulations 2002, Part L Conservation of Fuel and Energy, require that all new buildings achieve minimum standards of energy efficiency and gives maximum values which should be met to comply with the Building Regulations Standards of energy conservation. These values are shown in the table below:

How the Better Energy Home Scheme Make Your Life Better

This scheme benefit primarily goes out to the residents whose homes were built before 2006. According to this scheme, the homeowners with homes built before 2006 get the opportunity to make their homes more energy conservative and prevent energy wastage.

Administered by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), this scheme is funded by the Irish government going by the National Development Plan of 2007 - 2013, while a portion of the finances are provided by the European Union. This plan also focuses on reduction of excessive production of green house gases, other than just helping you to save energy.

Among the popular measures available under this plan, internal and external insulation of walls get top priority. The other measures include ceiling level flat roof insulation, high efficiency boilers, rafter level roof insulation and finally the upgrades for heating control.

This scheme also declares that post 8/06/2010, getting the "After Upgrade Works Building Energy Rating Certificate" is compulsory after the works are done. For this you are entitled to €50 and many wall insulation specialists will give you the BER Certificate along with any type of completed insulation job.

This makes your job easier as you don't have to go searching for a BER assessment specialist separately. The grants are usually prefixed for different kinds of measures. Before the measures are taken and materials are purchased, the grants must be approved. You get the payment for the grants, once the work is completed.

A BER Certificate is an important part of all the applications made for the grants under the BEH scheme. A homeowner is usually entitled to €50 once a month. This application will be added to your account provided that you are applying for the first time.

The works scheduled under this scheme has to be done by a licensed and certified contractor in the SEAI's Registered Contractors List. Guaranteeing to use the appropriate materials measured under the U-value is very important. Flat roof insulation is equally important for old homes and certified contractors provide you with the right budget for this task.

 

Fabric Elements                                        BEH Scheme category                                                  Maximum U-Value required for BEH Scheme grants

Pitched roofs, insulation horizontal        *Roof Insulation                                                               0.16

at ceiling level

Pitched roofs, insulation on slope           *Roof Insulation                                                               0.20

Flat roof                                                        *Roof Insulation                                                               0.22

Walls                                                               *Cavity wall insulation, Internal Wall Dry-Lining,      0.27

                                                                       External wall insulation

* Please note that services for these measures are provided by Inglotherm Ltd. If you have any queries about them, please contact us. 

How do I apply?
Please contact Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland for any information about how to apply for the grant. 


Based on materials from Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland website

If you are interested in doing some works eligible under BEH scheme please refer to our services: external wall insulation, dry-lining internal insulation and attic/roof insulation.