Who qualifies for SEAI window grants?

Earlier this year, the Government announced new SEAI grants for new, airtight windows and doors. 

Apartment owners are typically entitled to a €1,500 grant for new windows and those who live in a mid-terrace receive €1,800. Homeowners who live in a semi-detached property are given €3,000, while those detached homes are subsidised by €4,000. 

However, not everyone qualifies and one Newstalk listener, living in a four bedroom bungalow in Kerry, wrote in wondering if they are entitled to apply. 

 On Lunchtime Live, SEAI Programme Manager Brian McIntyre said only well insulated properties qualify for a window grant. 

“It depends on the overall heat loss from the house, as well as the walls,” he said. 

“So, you can go onto the website; there's a little checker there in the eligibility tool.

“You can put in your 11 digit MPRN number from your electricity bill and it will tell you if you're eligible or not.” 

An electricity bill. Picture by: Rosemary Roberts / Alamy Stock Photo

If people are not eligible, the next step is ask a BER assessor what work needs to be done to a property to make it eligible for the SEAI window grant. 

“He can put in, basically model what it would look like,” Mr  McIntyre explained. 

“Say, ‘Do I need to replace my walls’ or, ‘Would putting in the windows meet the requirements as it is?”

There are also SEAI grants for wall insulation, which significantly reduces heat loss from a building. 

“If it's a cavity wall insulation, you can insulate internally or externally,” he said. 

“Some people might have a situation where they need to get the attic done. 

“They need to get the walls done before they get the windows - but there's a grant for all three if they want to go down the road.”

The Government has set itself a target of retrofitting 500,000 homes to a B2 BER standard by 2030 and has introduced a generous system of SEAI grants to incentivise this. 

Main image: A repairman installing new windows. Picture by: Alamy.com.