Step by step
How to apply for the attic insulation grant
Pick an SEAI-registered contractor, apply to SEAI online with your MPRN and their name, and wait for approval before anything is bought or started. Then the work is done within 8 months, a BER assessor rates the home, and you claim the grant after paying the contractor.
Or use an SEAI One Stop Shop, which applies for you and takes the grant off the price.
Free, no obligation. One SEAI-registered contractor prices it, not five.
- €2,000SEAI attic grant for a detached house
- €2,500at the higher rate
- €300 to €600typically left to pay on a semi-D
- 300 mmof wool: what SEAI's standard takes
Six steps
Applying yourself
- Get a price. From a contractor on SEAI's register, in writing with VAT.
- Apply to SEAI. Online or by post, with your MPRN (on your electricity bill) and the contractor's name.
- Wait for the offer. Accept it before you buy materials or start any work.
- The work. Done within 8 months of approval.
- The BER. An SEAI-registered assessor rates the home after the work.
- Claim. Submit the paperwork once you've paid the contractor. SEAI pays the fixed grant to you.
From Citizens Information's Better Energy Homes page.
The rule that loses people the grant
Approval first
Citizens Information puts it plainly: "You must have grant approval before you buy materials or start any grant-funded work". A contractor who starts before your offer comes through costs you the whole grant.
Who can apply
Owners, landlords and others
Owner-occupiers, landlords letting to a tenant, holiday home owners, companies, registered charities and approved housing bodies can all apply, for a home built and lived in before 2011 with an MPRN. Homes built before 1940 may need a conservation architect's advice first.
Two routes
Yourself, or a One Stop Shop
Apply yourself and you pay the contractor, then SEAI pays you. Use a One Stop Shop and it handles the application and the contractors and gets the grant directly, so you pay the price less the grant. A One Stop Shop suits a bigger job with several measures; the attic on its own is usually simple enough to do yourself.
Paperwork
What you'll be asked for
- Your MPRN.
- The contractor's name, as it appears on SEAI's register.
- For the higher rate, proof: of the welfare payment, or of the HAP or RAS tenancy.
- After the work, the contractor's Declaration of Works, which records the roof area insulated, the depth and the U-value before and after, and the new BER.
Grant check
Your attic grant and what's left to pay
Two taps: your home, and which rate fits you. The answer is SEAI's fixed grant and its own median cost for the job.
Your SEAI attic insulation grant
€1,500
- SEAI median cost, Jan to Jun 2026
- €2,101
- Left to pay at the median
- €601
SEAI's fixed grant for a semi-d or end of terrace at the standard rate is €1,500. SEAI's median cost for attic insulation on a semi-d or end of terrace from January to June 2026 was €2,101. €2,101 less €1,500 leaves about €601. 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 home type and rate, as Citizens Information lists it. The median cost is SEAI's own figure from grant-funded attic jobs completed between January and June 2026; 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, 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 attic grant and a price, in 4 taps
Tap your home, when it was built, what's in the attic now and who you are. Then leave your number and one SEAI-registered insulation contractor who covers your area rings you to look at the attic and price it in writing.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Can I apply after the work is done?
No. SEAI must approve the grant before materials are bought or work starts.
How long do I have to finish the work?
8 months from approval.
Do I need a BER for the attic grant?
Yes, after the work. An SEAI-registered BER assessor rates the home before you claim.
Can my builder do it?
Only if they're on SEAI's register of contractors for this measure. Otherwise there's no grant.
Keep reading
Related guides
- Attic insulation grant amounts 2026Every attic grant rate in one table, and what changed in 2026 by date.
- Attic insulation costSEAI's median cost by home type, before and after the grant.
- Free attic insulationThe Warmer Homes Scheme: who gets it for nothing, and the wait.
- Roof and rafter insulation grantRafters, rooms in the roof and flat roof extensions: the whole-roof rule.