The objective of the webinar was to provide BER assessors an understanding of the National Retrofit programme, what is a one stop shop, key requirements and conditions, a home energy assessment and what Grants are available.
2. This event is being recorded
WebEx Housekeeping
2 www.seai.ie
Attendees are muted with cameras off
Questions submitted by clicking Q&A bubble
Questions will be answered at end of event
An FAQ will be created from all questions submitted and shared
A recording and slides will be distributed after the event
4. • Published in 2021
• Roadmap for halving emissions by 2030 and reaching
net-zero by 2050
• By 2030, National Retrofit Plan aims to:
• retrofit 500,000 homes to B2 or better
• install 400,000 heat pumps in existing buildings
• Benefits include:
• Better quality living environments
• Improvements in health & wellbeing
• Reduction in fuel poverty
• Emissions reductions & increased energy efficiency
Climate Action Plan
4 www.seai.ie
5. What is the role of the grants programme?
• Help meet higher energy performance standards by
increasing retrofit activity
• Improve the fabric of buildings to reduce CO2 emissions
• Support achievement of B2 BER/cost optimal equivalent
building retrofits in a stepped approach
• Promotion of renewable technologies to reduce fossil
fuel consumption
Climate Action Plan & Individual Energy Upgrades Programme
5 www.seai.ie
6. • Changes to Individual Energy Upgrades (Better Energy
Homes) programme announced by government on 8th
February, 2022
• Encourage uptake of home energy upgrades in line with
Climate Action Plan 2021 targets
• Greater accessibility of grant funding to homeowners
• Alignment of grant amounts & eligibility criteria across
SEAI programmes
Background to the changes:
6 www.seai.ie
7. • Grant amount increases
• Eligibility criteria – year of construction
• Changes to dwelling types
• Solar PV Changes
Summary of Changes:
7 www.seai.ie
8. Grant Amount Changes:
8 www.seai.ie
Old Grants
Measure Detached
Semi
Detached/End
of Terrace
Mid Terrace Apartment
Roof Insulation €400 €400 €400 €400
Cavity Insulation €400 €400 €400 €400
Dry-lining €2,400 €2,200 €1,600 €1,600
External Insulation €6,000 €4,500 €2,750 €2,750
Heating Controls €700
Heat Pump Systems €3,500
Heat Pumps Air to Air €600
Solar Hot Water €1,200
Solar PV
0 to 2kWp €900/kWp
2 to 4kWp €300/kWp (with Battery)
BER €50
Technical Assessment €200
New Grants
Measure Detached
Semi
Detached/End
of Terrace
Mid Terrace Apartment
Roof Insulation €1,500 €1,300 €1,200 €800
Cavity Insulation €1,700 €1,200 €800 €700
Dry-lining €4,500 €3,500 €2,000 €1,500
External Insulation €8,000 €6,000 €3,500 €3,000
Heating Controls €700
Heat Pump Systems €6,500 €4,500
Heat Pumps Air to Air €3,500
Solar Hot Water €1,200
Solar PV
0 to 2kWp €900/kWp
2 to 4kWp €300/kWp
BER €50
Technical Assessment €200
• 80% grant aid for roof & cavity insulation
• Increases to dry-lining and external wall insulation
• Increases to heat pump system grants
• No change to heating controls, BER, technical assessment or solar hot water grant values
9. Year of Construction:
9 www.seai.ie
Old Rule:
pre 2006 pre 2011
• Under the programme, grants are available to homes built and occupied prior to 2021
• Eligibility depends on the measure installed:
New Rule:
Insulation &
Heating Controls
Old Rule:
pre 2011 pre 2021
New Rule:
Heat Pump
Systems & Solar
(Hot Water & PV)
10. Dwelling Type Changes:
10 www.seai.ie
• Dwelling types have been amended to align with other SEAI programmes
Dwelling Type Changes
Old Archetype
Detached
Semi-Detached House
End of Terrace House
Mid-Terrace House
Ground Floor Apartment
Mid-Floor Apartment
Top-Floor Apartment
New Archetype
Detached
Semi-detached house/End of Terrace
Mid-Terrace
Apartment
11. • Introduction of the Microgeneration Support Scheme announced by
government on 20th December 2021
• Allows payments to micro-generators for exported electricity for the
first time
• Available to both new and existing micro-generators
• Includes changes to eligibility criteria, removal of one measure &
change in grant amount.
• SEAI system live as of 16th February 2022 and accepting application
under the new terms
• Will encourage uptake of home energy upgrades in line with Climate
Action Plan 2021 targets
Solar PV Changes - Background:
11 www.seai.ie
12. • Removal of minimum C3 BER (though the post works BER requirement remains)
• Homes built pre-2021 are now eligible (built & occupied pre 31st Dec 2020)
• Battery no longer supported
• Grant of up to 4kW (€2,400) now available to all, subject to usual criteria being met.
Note:
• Homeowners must contact their energy provider for information related to the Clean Export
Guarantee (CEG) or tariff
• Homeowners can continue to contact SEAI for information related to grants and grant
applications
What has changed:
12 www.seai.ie
13. One Stop Shop Service
(National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme)
Programme Updates 2022
13
14. • Programme announced by government on 8th February, 2022
• Fully managed & delivered via a Registered One Stop Shop
• Eligibility Criteria; built & occupied pre-2011, with a B3 BER or
worse, and can achieve a 100kWh/m2/year primary energy uplift.
• Available for Private Homeowners & Approved Housing Bodies
• Delivery and payment of works is on a house-by-house basis.
Process is automated & integrated with the BER and NAS database
• Applicant journey – this will form a 2-step process a) home energy
assessment [HEA] & b) home energy upgrade grant [HEU].
One Stop Shop Service - Background:
14 www.seai.ie
15. • Independent Pre and Post Works BER must be published to qualify
for the HEU works grant and subsequent payment.
• HEU works must be compliant with the DTSS, current Building
Regulation & Standards. Eligible measures must be installed by
SEAI registered contractors (where a register is in place).
Home Energy Assessment [HEA]
• A HEA is not required, however it is recommended
• Pre BER must be published within 12 months
• HEA grant offer is open for 12 months (offer to payment request)
• HEA is portable – facilitate applicant
contd.
One Stop Shop Service - Background:
15 www.seai.ie
16. A HEA must include the following (at minimum) for grant eligibility. All
completed post HEA grant offer.
• BER assessment, with Published BER
• Homeowner stated required outcome (objective)
• Technical Design and Pathway options to reach BER B2
• Technical design to meet the Heat Loss Indicator (“HLI”)
requirements and for a Heat Pump
• Quotation for the recommended energy upgrade works required to
reach BER B2; clearly stating the cost of each of the recommended
works, contribution from energy supplier (EEOS), if applicable, any
discounts and SEAI grant.
• Estimate of annual energy usage in kWh
Results of the assessment as well as the design elements must be
explained to the homeowner
One Stop Shop Service – Home Energy Assessment:
16 www.seai.ie
17. HEA grant payment
Managed through the OSS. They will upload the following to the
SEAI OSS portal
• Completed HEA
• Confirmation that the HEA has been completed in compliance
with all requirements, and to the required standard
• Name and contact details of the technical assessor
• Date of completion of the HEA
• Current energy usage of the property
• Details of the independent BER assessor who carried out the
pre-works BER.
One Stop Shop Service – Home Energy Assessment:
17 www.seai.ie
18. One Stop Shop Service
18 www.seai.ie
Energy Upgrades Detached
Semi-Detached /
End Terrace
Mid Terrace Apartment
Heat Pump €6,500 €4,500
Central Heating System for Heat
Pump
€2,000 €1,000
Heat Pump Air-to-Air €3,500
Heating Controls only €700
Launch bonus for reaching B2 with a
Heat Pump
€2,000
Ceiling Insulation €1,500 €1,300 €1,200 €800
Rafter Insulation €3,000 €3,000 €2,000 €1,500
Cavity Wall Insulation €1,700 €1,200 €800 €700
External Wall Insulation €8,000 €6,000 €3,500 €3,000
Internal Wall Insulation €4,500 €3,500 €2,000 €1,500
Windows (Complete Upgrade) €4,000 €3,000 €1,800 €1,500
External Doors (max. 2) €800 per door
Floor Insulation €3,500
Solar Thermal €1,200
Solar PV
0 to 2 kWp €900/kWp
2 to 4 kWp €300/kWp
Mechanical Ventilation €1,500
Air Tightness €1,000
Home Energy Assessment €350
Project Management €2,000 €1,600 €1,200 €800
• You can access a wider range of grants using a One Stop Shop than if
you were to manage the project yourself.
Alternative grant
table for Approved
Housing Body
upgrades on the
SEAI website
19. One Stop Shop Service
19 www.seai.ie
• Project Management support applies to all upgrades.
• Launch bonus is applicable where requirements are met, and a Heat Pump is installed
• Only one of the ceiling insulation or rafter insulation will be supported. This is based on greatest
area being upgraded when comparing the cold roof upgrade area to the (combined rafter, flat
and dwarf wall insulation being installed)
• Primarily only one wall insulation will be supported. Based on greatest area being upgraded.
Internal Wall Insulation
If CWI has been grant aided previously, IWI insulation will be supported
External Wall Insulation
If CWI has been grant aided previously, EWI insulation will be supported
If IWI has been grant aided previously, EWI insulation will be supported
• Airtightness only supported where an airtightness test and measures are completed.
• Heat pump grant is eligible for previous BEH boiler and / or heating control grants recipients
• Where expenditure does not exceed grant amount, expenditure will be re-imbursed.
20. • OSS will be able to establish (through accessing the portal)
which measures are available for a particular home. This will
be managed by the Pre-Ber data and ECMS
• OSS can select from the list of eligible measures
• OSS provides the homeowner with a quote for the total cost
of the works with the applicable HEU grants available
discounted.
• Successful HEU grant applications - OSS will have 12
months from the date of the grant offer to complete all works.
• OSS is fully responsible for confirming
• all works are completed to the required standards,
• B2 BER or better and 100kWh/m2/year uplift is achieved (post works
BER)
• Confirmations - submitting DoWs, OSS QA process adhered too, and
• the safe retention of all relevant documentation pertaining to each
individual homeowner and grant application.
One Stop Shop Service – Home Energy Upgrade:
20 www.seai.ie
The National Retrofit plan is a key measure in supporting government targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The roll out of heat pump systems across the residential sector will help homeowners replace existing less efficient fossil fuel heating systems.
OSS allows for achievement of B2 targets in one full retrofit – IEU programme helps homeowners do similar upgrade works in a step-by-step manner
On the 8th of February, in tandem with the launch of the OSS programme, the government announced changes to the Individual Energy Upgrades grants scheme a.k.a. Better Energy Homes programme incl. Solar PV.
The purpose of the changes was to ensure that the grant amounts available under both OSS and on an individual basis were aligned, as was the eligibility criteria around year of construction.
This means that homeowners who do not wish to undertake a deep retrofit of their property can still avail of a similar level of funding on the IEU programme, albeit on a measure-by-measure basis.
The grant changes were made to promote home energy upgrades in line with the Climate Action Plan.
The CAP has set a target of upgrading 500,000 homes to B2 or better by 2030.
The first change, that made all the headlines, was the change to the grant amounts. Most grants saw an uplift in value, with a number of exceptions. There is also a wider variety of grants available which are dependent on the dwelling types. I will go into these in more detail in the next slide.
The next major changes announced was regarding the grant eligibility and year of construction.
There has also been a change to the dwelling types that can be selected at application. This was done to align with other SEAI programmes. Also since there is a wider range of grants (dependent on dwelling type) we have reduced the number to simplify the process.
Headline item is the significant increase in grants for attic and cavity which are now set at approx. 80% of the cost of works.
Greater range of grant amounts dependent on dwelling type (has always been the case for dry-lining & EWI)
Grants are available to all privately-owned dwellings built and occupied prior to 2021
Previous rule: the cut-off point was homes pre-2011
No change to Detached or Mid-Terrace homes.
Semi-D & EOT are now under one house archetype.
Apartments have been simplified into one archetype.
These are the archetypes selected by homeowners when they submit their application.
These changes have no impact on the post-works BER so are for your information only.
On the 20th of December 2021, the government announced the launch of the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) which means that domestic applicants will be eligible to receive a Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff, for any exported electricity generated from renewable sources. This tariff will be paid at a ‘competitive market rate’ from their electricity supplier.
The introduction of the MSS included four key changes to current Solar PV grant which are outlined in the next slide.
The CEG will be available to both new and existing micro-generators, subject to the eligibility criteria and Homeowners will need to contact their electricity provider for information related to the CEG.
SEAI are currently accepting applications under the new terms.
The introduction of the MSS included four key changes to current Solar PV grant:
Removal of the minimum C3 BER (though the post works BER requirement still remains)
Change in the year of construction requirement from pre 2011 to pre 2021 (the cut off is homes built & occupied by Dec 31st December, 2020)
Removal of the battery grant support
Max grant of €2,400 available to all, subject to the usual criteria being met.
Homeowners can apply as usual through the SEAI.
Apply on behalf of the homeowner.
so that an informed decision can be made in relation to what, if any, energy upgrade works the homeowner wishes to undertake.
5m3/h/m2 or 0.25ac/hr
Aligned Archetypes and grant support (OSS have additional measures + launch bonus)
80% grant aid for roof & cavity insulation
Primarily one wall insulation measure is supported. In cases where a where the wall was previously insulated through a BEH scheme and the OSS determines through the HEA and HLI assessment that a second wall insulation is required to meet the heat pump requirement, a second wall type maybe chosen as follows:
Internal Wall Insulation
If CWI has been grant aided previously, IWI insulation will be supported
If EWI has been grant aided previously, IWI insulation will not be supported
External Wall Insulation
If CWI has been grant aided previously, EWI insulation will be supported
If IWI has been grant aided previously, EWI insulation will be supported
The OSS must also communicate key milestones for the project to the homeowner
Invoices issued to the homeowner for HEU works completed evidencing measures completed.
• Quality assurance (QA) reports for the particular home and measure(s).
• Evidence of payment for HEU works directly to the OSS by the homeowner.
• Evidence of the contract(s) in place between homeowner and OSS.
• Any relevant certificates required following completion of individual measures in line with applicable standards and specifications
• In the event of Inspections/Desktop Audit by SEAI, photographs may be required of the individual measures that are being claimed as part of the HEU grant.