Check my grant
HomeGrant amountsCostDry liningWhich wall?How to applyAbout this siteGet a free quote

Pre-1940 · solid · stone · protected

Insulating old, solid and stone walls

Older solid walls can get the internal or external grant, but check first. If the house was built before 1940 you may need a conservation architect's advice (Citizens Information), external insulation on a protected structure or in a conservation area may need planning permission (seai.ie), and the work must not raise the risk of condensation (SEAI technical standard).

What SEAI and Citizens Information say about older houses, and the questions to ask before anyone fixes anything to an old wall.

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

Before 1940

Get advice first

Citizens Information says homes built before 1940 may need a conservation architect's advice before the work. SEAI's technical standard has a clause on traditional buildings (SEAI technical standard, clause 5).

Planning

Protected structures and conservation areas

External insulation may need planning permission, for example on a protected structure or in an architectural conservation area (seai.ie). Internal and cavity insulation don't need it (SEAI). Ask your council's conservation officer before you apply to SEAI if the house is on the Record of Protected Structures.

Moisture

Condensation and ventilation

  • SEAI's standard says the works must not compromise ventilation, indoor air quality or humidity, or raise the potential for condensation (SEAI technical standard, clause 2.5).
  • The contractor's retrofit design must show how ventilation will be kept or added, and keep surface and interstitial condensation risk down (SEAI technical standard, clause 4.1).
  • SEAI's guide tells you to ask about condensation behind the insulation, especially at joints and edges, and about ventilation under NSAI's S.R.54 code (SEAI wall insulation guide).

Free upgrades

Older homes and the Warmer Homes Scheme

SEAI says older homes built before 1940 and stone homes usually don't get wall insulation under the free scheme, and solid concrete walls may qualify for a different type. Free wall insulation has the rest.

Questions to ask

Before you sign

  • What is the wall made of, and how do you know?
  • Which system, and is it certified for this kind of wall?
  • How will the house be ventilated afterwards?
  • How do you stop condensation at the joints, the floors and the window reveals?
  • Does anything need planning permission or a conservation officer's view?

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

€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 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.

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 you insulate a stone house in Ireland with a grant?

The internal and external grants don't exclude stone, but houses built before 1940 may need a conservation architect's advice first (Citizens Information), and the free Warmer Homes Scheme usually doesn't insulate stone walls (SEAI).

Do I need planning permission to insulate a protected structure?

External insulation may need it (seai.ie). Ask your council's conservation officer.

Does internal insulation cause damp?

It can if it's done badly. SEAI makes the contractor's design keep surface and interstitial condensation risk down and keep the home ventilated (SEAI technical standard).

Keep reading

Related guides

Where these numbers come from (8 public sources, checked 2 November 2026)
  1. Citizens Information, Better Energy Homes Scheme (page updated 22 October 2026)
  2. SEAI, Domestic Technical Standards and Specifications v4.0, July 2026 (PDF)
  3. SEAI, insulation grants page
  4. SEAI, wall insulation grant page
  5. SEAI, Homeowner's Guide to Wall Insulation (PDF)
  6. SEAI, fully funded energy upgrades (Warmer Homes Scheme)
  7. SEAI BER Research Tool, full public file (downloaded 29 October 2026, our sums)
  8. SEAI, individual energy upgrades: median costs and fixed grants, January to June 2026, 23,412 upgrades (PDF)