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Warmer Homes Scheme · fully funded

Free wall insulation: the Warmer Homes Scheme

If you own and live in a home built before 2006 and get a qualifying payment such as Fuel Allowance, SEAI's Warmer Homes Scheme can insulate the walls at no cost: cavity, internal or external. The wait is long: about 24 to 26 months from applying to finished work (SEAI).

Who qualifies, what it covers, and how it compares with paying your share under the normal grant.

Get a free quoteCheck my grantFree. Your grant in 3 taps, then 4 questions for a price. One SEAI-registered contractor rings you.

Figures checked against SEAI and Citizens Information on 2 November 2026. wallinsulationgrants.ie is not SEAI or a government body and does not award grants.

The three wall insulation jobs SEAI grants, seen from above Three walls in section, outside on the left and the room on the right. Cavity wall: two leaves of block with the gap between them filled with insulation pumped in through drilled holes. Internal insulation, or dry lining: a solid wall with insulation board, a vapour control layer and plasterboard fixed to the inside face, so the room gets a little smaller. External insulation, or the wrap: a solid wall with insulation slabs fixed to the outside, covered with mesh and render, so nothing changes inside. Seen from above. Our drawing, not to scale. Cavity wallOUTSIDEROOMGap filled throughdrilled holes Internal (dry lining)OUTSIDEROOMBoard, vapour layer,plasterboard inside External (the wrap)OUTSIDEROOMSlabs, mesh andrender outside
The three jobs SEAI grants for walls, as its Homeowner's Guide to Wall Insulation describes them (SEAI). Which one a house can have depends on how its walls were built.
  • €8,000SEAI's fixed external wall grant for a detached house, the biggest of the three
  • €4,500for internal wall insulation (dry lining) on a detached house (SEAI)
  • €2,300the higher cavity grant for a detached house, for certain welfare recipients and HAP or RAS landlords (Citizens Information)
  • 24%of homes on the BER register with a known wall type have solid or hollow block walls: no cavity to fill (SEAI BER register)

FreeNo obligationOne contractor rings you, not fiveSEAI approves the grant before any work

Grant check

Your wall grant and what's left to pay

Three taps: the wall job, your home, and which rate fits you. The answer is SEAI's fixed grant and its own median cost for the job.

Wall job
Your home
Which fits you?

Your SEAI wall insulation grant

€1,700

SEAI median cost, Jan to Jun 2026
€1,585
Left to pay at the median
€0

SEAI's fixed cavity wall grant for a semi-d or end of terrace at the higher rate is €1,700 (Citizens Information and SEAI, 2 November 2026). SEAI's median cost for that job on a semi-d or end of terrace, January to June 2026, was €1,585. €1,585 less €1,700 leaves about €0. Our sum; your quote can be higher or lower.

Send this for a real price
How this is worked out

The grant is SEAI's fixed amount for that wall job and home type, as SEAI's wall insulation page and Citizens Information (Citizens Information, updated 22 October 2026) list it. The higher rate applies to cavity walls only. The median cost is SEAI's own figure from grant-funded jobs completed between January and June 2026 (SEAI median costs); the PDF doesn't say whether VAT is in. Left to pay is the median less the grant, our sum. The home must have been built and lived in before 2011, every external wall must be done, the contractor must be on SEAI's register, and SEAI must approve the grant before work starts. It's an estimate, never a quote.

Who qualifies

All four must be true

  • You own the home and live in it as your main home.
  • It was built and lived in before 2006.
  • You get a qualifying payment: Fuel Allowance, Working Family Payment, One-Parent Family Payment, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Carer's Allowance (if you live with the person), or Jobseeker's Allowance or Disability Allowance for over 6 months with a child under 7.
  • An SEAI survey finds the home suitable.

What you get

What the scheme does to walls

Wall insulation can be internal, external or cavity. The surveyor decides; you can't pick the upgrades. Older homes built before 1940 and stone homes usually don't get wall insulation, and solid concrete walls may qualify for a different type. Windows are only replaced if they're single-glazed and the walls are being insulated too (SEAI).

The wait

Up to two years or more

  • Up to 12 monthsA free BER, if you don't have one.
  • About 14 monthsThe home survey.
  • About 24 to 26 monthsWorks finished.
  • 2 to 3 months laterThe final BER and inspection.

SEAI's own timeline.

Or the higher grant

Not willing to wait?

The same payments get you the higher cavity grant under the normal scheme: €1,700 for a semi-D against a median cost of €1,585 (Citizens Information, SEAI median costs). Internal and external insulation have no higher rate, so for solid walls the free scheme is worth far more if you can wait.

Your grant

Your wall grant and a price, in 4 taps

Tap your home, which wall job you think it needs, when it was built and which rate fits you. Then leave your number and one SEAI-registered insulation contractor who covers your area rings you to look at the walls and price it in writing.

What type of home is it?

SEAI pays a fixed amount for each type of home.

By sending, you agree to Wall Insulation Grants passing your details to one SEAI-registered insulation contractor who covers your area, so they can contact you about the job. wallinsulationgrants.ie is not SEAI or a government body and does not award grants. Privacy notice

FAQ

Questions people ask

Can I get free wall insulation in Ireland?

Yes, through SEAI's Warmer Homes Scheme, if you own and live in a home built before 2006 and get a qualifying payment.

How long is the Warmer Homes Scheme wait?

SEAI puts works at about 24 to 26 months from applying.

Do landlords qualify for free wall insulation?

No; the home must be yours and your main home. Landlords with HAP or RAS tenants can get the higher cavity grant instead (Citizens Information).

Keep reading

Related guides

Where these numbers come from (5 public sources, checked 2 November 2026)
  1. SEAI, fully funded energy upgrades (Warmer Homes Scheme)
  2. Citizens Information, Better Energy Homes Scheme (page updated 22 October 2026)
  3. SEAI, individual energy upgrades: median costs and fixed grants, January to June 2026, 23,412 upgrades (PDF)
  4. SEAI, wall insulation grant page
  5. SEAI BER Research Tool, full public file (downloaded 29 October 2026, our sums)