Which SEAI grant represents “phenomenal” value? 

Some 220,000 people in the country have availed of SEAI grants since the scheme was set up in 2019. 

However, the Government has set itself a target of more than doubling that figure by 2030, when it hopes that 500,000 will be retrofitted to at least B2 Building Energy Rating (BER) standard. 

With that target in mind, many grants - such as those for windows and doors - have been increased. 

“We set targets for ourselves for 2030 and then for 2050 again which are phenomenally high,” Pete The Builder told The Claire Byrne Show. 

“So, therefore, why are we spending all this money and why have we underspent and why are we giving out about underspending by €120 million. 

“This is the motivation that the Government have come up with to try and motivate people to get their homes to become more energy efficient.”

A man measures loft insulation to cut down heat loss in a house. Picture by: Global Warming Images / Alamy Stock Photo.

Pete recently got solar panels and a heat pump installed in his property and acknowledged that the grant system is a big factor that persuaded him to get the work done. 

He added that many SEAI grants represent exceptional value for homeowners. 

“If you put insulation in your attic or into your cavity walls, you're getting 80% of the value of the works done in the grant - like that's phenomenal,” he explained. 

“And it’s 12.5 grand for a heat pump, you're probably talking another five to six grand and you've got the works done.” 

A builder fitting insulation. Picture by: Ian Allenden / Alamy Stock Photo.

Pete conceded that people have to pay for the works before the grant, but believes retrofitting your property is still worth doing. 

“If you're making an investment in your home and the Government, I don't know when the last time the Government gave you 12.5 grand, because I can tell you one thing, before this grant, I'd never been given more money,” he said. 

“The other way around, they constantly tax us - so, this is a motivation.”

Pete continued that it is typically easy to find someone available to carry out the work. 

“If you're looking to get small works done on your home, it's pretty much impossible to get anybody to do that these days,” he said. 

“We definitely have a shortage of tradespeople in our country in general, but when it comes to retrofit, that is not the case. 

“You go on the SEAI website, registered contractors are there that have been vetted, that are experienced, that are ready to rock and ready to go at this.”

Main image: A ladder. Picture by: Alamy.com.