More than 300,000 home energy upgrades have been carried out with government backing since 2019, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien has announced. The programme has benefitted 271,000 individual homes, including over 42,000 vulnerable or energy-poor households that received fully funded works. More than 115,000 homes have reached a B2 energy rating or better, and over 22,000 heat pumps have been installed.

According to the Department, over €2 billion has been channelled through Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) schemes for communities and households since 2019. When local authority upgrades funded by the Department of Housing are included, annual spending on vulnerable households and those at risk of energy poverty now represents more than 60% of the overall outlay.

Officials say momentum has increased following new measures, higher grants and broader eligibility announced in January and again in October — including the introduction of grants for windows and doors, higher support for heat pumps, enhanced grants for certain Department of Social Protection recipients, and new supports for some landlords. SEAI has received more than 120,000 applications so far this year, more than double the number at the same point in 2025.

O'Brien said: "I am delighted that we have achieved this really significant milestone, whereby we have now completed more than 300,000 home energy upgrades. The recently enhanced measures to the home energy upgrade schemes are helping to deliver meaningful and long-lasting reductions in energy costs for households and businesses right across the country. Depending on the measure installed and the characteristics of the property, households could benefit from savings of up to nearly €900 per year. These grants are on top of the existing supports for energy upgrades, including insulation, window and door replacements and heat pumps. When installed as part of whole home upgrade, homeowners can save over €1,100 per year on their energy bills.

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"Importantly, more than 42,000 households have benefited from fully funded upgrades through the warmer homes scheme, ensuring that those most in need of energy supports are not left behind in the transition to a cleaner more sustainable energy future. There are a number of recently enhanced measures to support households at risk of energy poverty, medically vulnerable customers, lower-income homeowners and renters. These will help to ensure that those who need support most can access the benefits of lower energy bills and warmer healthier homes.

"These enhanced measures, developed through the work of the National Energy Affordability Taskforce which I chair, form part of the government's broader efforts to improve energy affordability, strengthen energy security and support the transition to a cleaner energy future. Budget 2027 allocated a record capital allocation of over €650 million for SEAI home and community energy upgrades, including more solar PV, new battery grants and a boiler scrappage scheme. The forthcoming Energy Affordability Action Plan, which I will bring to government in the coming weeks, will set out a roadmap for improving energy affordability for households and businesses."

SEAI chief executive William Walsh added: "Behind these figures are people and families, in warmer, more comfortable homes, with more security over their energy bills. There is real momentum behind this work now. Every year we help more and more people, and with energy costs on the minds of many, especially at this time of year, I'd really encourage anyone thinking of upgrading to get in touch with us at SEAI, or check out our website www.seai.ie to see how to get started.

"Thanks to record government support, the grants available have never been more generous – there really is an option for everyone now, regardless of where you're starting out from or what your budget is."

The latest enhancements include: solar PV and a home battery offered as standard under the fully funded Warmer Homes Scheme; larger grants for solar, attic and cavity wall insulation for eligible Department of Social Protection recipients and for homes in HAP, RAS and RASP tenancies; more favourable eligibility for solar PV and solar thermal; a €2,000 fossil-fuel boiler scrappage support; and a €600 home battery storage grant. Business supports have also been strengthened, with a temporary increase in the Non-Domestic Microgeneration Grant rate to 45% and higher grants for heat pumps and solar thermal under the Business Energy Upgrades Scheme.

The cross-government National Energy Affordability Taskforce, set up last June, is finalising an Energy Affordability Action Plan. Alongside this, Budget 2027 provided a record capital allocation for SEAI upgrades and introduced wider affordability measures, including enhancements to key social supports, an extension of temporary excise cuts into 2027, and a cut in Carbon Tax on home heating oil and gas. Temporary fuel supports totalling over €1.4 billion have been extended in full until 28 February 2027, with a phased restoration to pre-reduction levels between February and June.