New SEAI Grants 2026: Battery, Boiler Scrappage and Solar Changes

What changed on 6 October 2026

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment announced a package of enhanced SEAI grants at the end of September 2026, developed through the National Energy Affordability Taskforce. The new and enhanced measures opened on 6 October 2026. In short:

• A new flat rate grant of €600 for a home battery of 5kWh or larger.
• A new €2,000 Boiler Scrappage Grant, available as part of the Heat Pump System grant where an eligible existing heating system is removed.
• Solar PV and solar thermal grants opened to homes built and occupied before 2025, where the previous cut off was before 2021.
• Solar PV and a battery offered as standard under the fully funded Warmer Homes Scheme, and more generous solar, attic and cavity wall support for certain qualifying households.
• A temporary increase to 45% of eligible costs for business solar PV, business heat pumps and commercial solar thermal.

The new €600 battery grant

SEAI's new Battery Energy Storage System Grant is a flat €600 towards a home battery with a capacity of 5kWh or larger. Smaller batteries are not eligible. The main conditions SEAI sets out are:

• The home must have been built and occupied before 2025 and have an MPRN.
• You must receive a grant offer from SEAI before the battery is installed.
• The battery must be installed by an SEAI registered Solar PV contractor, to SEAI's technical standards.
• The grant is not available where a battery has previously been grant funded at the same MPRN.
• You can apply for solar PV and a battery together in one application, or apply for the battery separately, for example if you already have solar panels or an existing solar PV application.

€600 will cover only part of the cost of a battery, so the grant on its own is not a reason to add one. Whether a battery suits your home still depends on how much surplus solar electricity you export and on your electricity tariff. Our dedicated page on the SEAI battery storage grant covers eligibility, applying alongside solar, installer requirements and practical sizing points in more detail.

The €2,000 boiler scrappage grant

The Boiler Scrappage Grant is not a grant for a new boiler. SEAI does not fund the installation of a new oil or gas boiler. The €2,000 is an extra element of the Heat Pump System grant, paid where an eligible heat pump installation replaces one of the following existing heating systems and that system is removed:

• an oil boiler
• a gas boiler
• a solid fuel heating system
• electric storage heating

SEAI says eligibility for the boiler scrappage element depends on your contractor's installation design, so ask your installer to confirm in writing whether your existing system will be removed and whether they expect the element to apply. SEAI has also said that eligible homeowners with a Heat Pump System application already in progress when the scheme was announced will receive the additional €2,000.

The updated heat pump grant bundle

With the boiler scrappage element added, SEAI now describes the Heat Pump System grant as three separately capped parts:

€14,500 is a ceiling, not a typical payment. A home that does not need radiator or pipework changes, or that is not removing a qualifying heating system, will receive less. For an apartment, the qualifying maximum is up to €11,500. Where an existing heat pump is being replaced and the extra decarbonisation grants do not apply, support is up to €6,500 for a house and €4,500 for an apartment. A qualifying air to air heat pump can receive up to €9,500. The heat pump grant's property rules have not changed: the home must have been built and occupied before 2021, and it still needs a Heat Loss Indicator low enough to qualify. Our Heat Pumps guide explains the Heat Loss Indicator, and the radiator upsizing check helps you see whether the central heating element is likely to come into play.

Wider solar eligibility

From 6 October 2026, the build and occupation date for the Solar PV grant moved from before 2021 to before 2025, so homes built and occupied in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 can now apply. SEAI's announcement extended the same, more favourable eligibility to the solar thermal (solar water heating) grant.

The Solar PV grant amount itself has not changed. It is still worked out at €700 per kWp for the first 2kWp and €200 per kWp up to 4kWp, to a maximum of €1,800, so a smaller system receives less than the maximum. The solar water heating grant remains up to €1,200. Other measures keep their own dates: insulation, windows, doors and heating controls grants still require a home built and occupied before 2011, and the heat pump grant before 2021. Our Solar PV guide and its Solar Cost and Payback Calculator show how the grant applies to different system sizes.

Enhanced supports for qualifying households

The package also includes supports aimed at households most exposed to high energy costs:

• Warmer Homes Scheme. Solar PV and a battery are now offered as standard, fully funded, under SEAI's Warmer Homes Scheme where they are suitable for the home, alongside the insulation and heating works the scheme already covers, for homeowners who qualify.
• Certain welfare recipients. Homeowners receiving certain Department of Social Protection payments can get up to €9,000 towards a Solar PV system of up to 4kWp and a 5kWh battery, along with more generous attic and cavity wall insulation grants.
• HAP, RAS and RASP homes. Enhanced grants also apply to qualifying homes let under Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and related RASP tenancies, which is relevant to landlords of those properties. Attic insulation support ranges from €1,400 to €2,500 and cavity wall insulation from €900 to €2,300, depending on the property type.

These are maximums, and the qualifying payments and conditions differ between the Warmer Homes Scheme and the enhanced individual grants. Check the relevant SEAI page, or our Upgrade Grants guide for how the routes compare, before assuming which applies to you.

Temporary increases for business energy grants

Businesses, farms, schools, community groups and other non-domestic organisations also have higher support for a limited period:

• Commercial solar PV. The Non-Domestic Microgeneration Grant now gives an effective 45% of eligible solar PV costs during an enhanced window running from 7 October 2026 to 6 July 2027, up from roughly 23% of installation costs. The enhanced grant applies to new applications made from 6 October 2026. The scheme supports eligible systems up to 1000kWp, with grant support of up to €325,200 for the largest qualifying systems.
• Business heat pumps and commercial solar thermal. Support under the Business Energy Upgrades Scheme has increased to 45% of eligible costs for business heat pumps and commercial solar thermal installations.

Upgrader.ie focuses on homes, and our installer directory lists domestic installers. If you are planning a business project, start with SEAI's business grant pages and check that the companies you contact are registered for the relevant non-domestic scheme.

What Budget 2027 changed, separately

Budget 2027, published on 6 October 2026, did not change the SEAI grant amounts or eligibility rules described above. It did include separate measures that affect household energy costs and the economics of some upgrades:

• Funding for home energy upgrades. The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment allocated over €650 million to SEAI home and community energy upgrades for 2027, which funds the schemes above. An allocation is not the same as a change to your own entitlement.
• Carbon tax on home heating. The Budget includes a cut to carbon tax on home heating oil and gas. This lowers the running cost of oil and gas heating, which slightly narrows the running cost gap a heat pump has to close, though it does not affect heat pump grant eligibility.
• Microgeneration income. The income tax disregard for money households earn selling solar electricity back to the grid rises by €200, from €400 to €600 a year. Check with Revenue which tax year the higher limit applies from.
• Fuel Allowance. The weekly Fuel Allowance payment increases by €5. Receiving certain welfare payments can also be relevant to eligibility for the Warmer Homes Scheme and the enhanced grants above, so it is worth checking both.

What to do before starting any work

Where to go next

Once you know which grant applies, the next step is comparing installers. Our directory lists a selection of SEAI registered solar PV companies, which also covers batteries, as well as heat pump companies and insulation companies. For the full list of current home grant amounts, see our Upgrade Grants guide.