Dry lining · SEAI grant · checked November 2026
Internal wall insulation and the dry lining grant
Internal wall insulation, or dry lining, fixes insulation board, a vapour control layer and plasterboard to the inside of your outer walls. SEAI's grant is €4,500 for a detached house, €3,500 for a semi-D, €2,000 for a mid-terrace and €1,500 for an apartment.
For solid and hollow block walls that have no cavity to fill. No planning permission, the outside stays as it is, and the rooms get a little smaller.
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.
- €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.
Your SEAI wall insulation grant
€3,500
- SEAI median cost, Jan to Jun 2026
- €9,843
- Left to pay at the median
- €6,343
SEAI's fixed internal (dry lining) grant for a semi-d or end of terrace at the standard rate is €3,500 (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 €9,843. €9,843 less €3,500 leaves about €6,343. Our sum; your quote can be higher or lower.
Send this for a real priceHow 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.
The grant
Dry lining grant and median cost
| Home type | SEAI median cost | Grant | Left to pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | €8,600 | €4,500 | €4,100 |
| Semi-D or end of terrace | €9,843 | €3,500 | €6,343 |
| Mid-terrace | €9,804 | €2,000 | €7,804 |
| Apartment | €5,736 | €1,500 | €4,236 |
Internal (dry lining): SEAI's median cost of grant-funded jobs, January to June 2026 (SEAI median costs). Left to pay is the median less the standard grant: our sum.
No higher rate for internal insulation (Citizens Information). Built and lived in before 2011, every external wall done, an SEAI-registered contractor, approval first.
The job
What dry lining involves
SEAI's guide describes it as insulation fixed to the inner face of the external walls, usually an insulation board, a vapour barrier layer and plasterboard (SEAI wall insulation guide). For the grant:
- The walls must reach a U-value of 0.27 W/m²K (SEAI wall insulation guide) and the work must meet Part L of the Building Regulations (seai.ie).
- Every external wall in the home, including window and door reveals (SEAI wall insulation guide). A single room isn't eligible on its own (SEAI).
- A retrofit design that keeps the home ventilated and keeps the risk of condensation on and inside the wall down (SEAI technical standard, clause 4.1).
- Where the system is certified by NSAI Agrément, the contractor must be an approved installer of it (SEAI technical standard, clause 2.3.2).
Living with it
What changes in the house
- Room space. You lose some, SEAI says: the new layers sit inside the old wall (SEAI wall insulation guide).
- Kitchens, cabinets, appliances. On an outside wall they come out and go back (SEAI wall insulation guide).
- Wiring. Cables behind the new lining need protecting where necessary (SEAI wall insulation guide).
- Condensation. Ask how the contractor stops it behind the insulation, especially at joints and edges (SEAI wall insulation guide).
- Planning. Not needed for internal insulation (SEAI). Protected structures still need care: see old, solid and stone walls.
Who has solid walls
The homes this is for
Internal or external? The comparison sets them side by side.
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.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What is dry lining insulation?
Insulation board, a vapour control layer and plasterboard fixed to the inside of the outer walls. SEAI calls it internal wall insulation, or dry-lining (SEAI wall insulation guide).
Is there a grant for dry lining?
Yes: €4,500 detached, €3,500 semi-D, €2,000 mid-terrace, €1,500 apartment (SEAI).
How much does internal wall insulation cost?
SEAI's median for January to June 2026: €9,843 for a semi-D and €8,600 for a detached house, before the grant (SEAI median costs).
Do I need planning permission for internal wall insulation?
No (SEAI).
Can I dry line one room with the grant?
No. All external walls must be insulated for the grant (SEAI). See one room or one wall.
Keep reading
Related guides
- Internal vs external insulationSame solid wall, two jobs: grant, cost, planning and disruption.
- Wall insulation cost after the grantSEAI's median cost for each wall job, before and after the grant.
- Insulating one room or one wallThe all-walls rule, and what it means for one room or one gable.
- Old, solid and stone wallsPre-1940, stone and protected houses: what to check first.
- Which wall insulation does my house need?Cavity, solid, hollow block or timber frame: which grant fits.
- How to applySeven steps, the deadlines, and the rule that loses people the grant.
Where these numbers come from (7 public sources, checked 2 November 2026)
- SEAI, individual energy upgrades: median costs and fixed grants, January to June 2026, 23,412 upgrades (PDF)
- Citizens Information, Better Energy Homes Scheme (page updated 22 October 2026)
- SEAI, Homeowner's Guide to Wall Insulation (PDF)
- SEAI, insulation grants page
- SEAI, wall insulation grant page
- SEAI, Domestic Technical Standards and Specifications v4.0, July 2026 (PDF)
- SEAI BER Research Tool, full public file (downloaded 29 October 2026, our sums)