Government Grants for Home Energy Improvements in Ireland

Ireland is heavily reliant on fossil fuels which are a limited resource, cause emissions that are harmful to the environment and, as we have seen recently, can be subject to volatility of price and availability. The Irish Government wishes to reduce this reliance and move towards making greater use of our renewable energy resources. This diversification can be good for the economy because of the longer term availability and constancy of supply and good for the environment through the reduced emissions of Carbon Dioxide(CO2 ).

The main sources of renewable energy in Ireland are the sun (solar energy), the wind, moving water (hydropower, wave and tidal energy), geothermal (heat below the earths surface) and biomass (wood, certain wastes and energy crops). One of the main benefits of using renewable energy is that it reduces emissions of carbon dioxide. Ireland has an abundance of several of these resources and their effective development and use will reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and our reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Homeowners can play their part by choosing a renewable heating system (solar, biomass or heat pump based) that meets their particular needs in terms of heat demand, budget and environmental considerations. Doing so will help Ireland move down a path towards more sustainable energy use, ultimately benefiting the environment.

Why offer an Energy Improvement Grant?

Renewable energy heating systems are new technologies which, while proven and highly popular overseas, have yet to become widespread in Ireland. The Irish Government, through SEI (Sustainable Energy Ireland), wishes to encourage people to green their homes by contributing to the initial investment cost of installing a renewable energy heating system. The government believes that this will help ensure a faster uptake of renewable heating systems which will underpin the development a long term market, while enabling homeowners to play their part in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Two grants are available to Homeowners:

1. Greener Homes Scheme which covers Renewable Energy Technologies, specifically Solar, Biomass and Heat Pumps.

2. Home Energy Saving Scheme (HES) which is a grant aid covering Insulation & Heating System Controls.

A-Rated Energy are a trusted professional expert company in all of these areas covered by both grant types.

›› Click to Read our step by step guide to Obtaining Your Grant Aid