Energy-efficient renovation
Energy-efficient renovation: doing the whole house in the right order in Ireland
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An energy retrofit brings several trades into one house: insulation, windows, ventilation and heating, sometimes solar panels too. Done in a sensible order, each step makes the next one smaller and cheaper. Done piecemeal, you can end up with a heat pump sized for walls you insulate a year later, or an airtight house with nowhere for moisture to go. This page explains how to plan the work and what rules and grants apply. Your request is offered to exactly one renovation contractor in your area.
- Exactly one business. Your request is handed out once. After that, no other business sees it.
- You know who will be in touch. Before the business receives your contact details, we send you its name, address and phone number.
- Withdraw at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time – using the link in our email.
Fabric first, then heating
The usual advice is to reduce heat loss before replacing the heating. Loft, wall and floor insulation, draught-proofing and better glazing lower the heat a house needs on a cold day. The heating system can then be sized for the house as it will be, not as it was. This matters most for heat pumps, which work best at low flow temperatures and cost more when oversized.
That does not mean everything must happen at once. A written plan that sets out the order, even over several years, prevents work being undone: fitting external wall insulation after new windows, for example, may mean the window reveals have to be reworked. If scaffolding is going up anyway for a roof, it is worth asking what else could be done from it.
Ventilation is part of the job
Every draught you seal was also carrying some moisture out. After a retrofit, cooking, showers, drying washing and breathing still produce water vapour, and it has to leave the house somewhere. Without enough ventilation, condensation and mould appear, usually in the coldest corners.
Options range from reliable extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms and trickle vents in windows, through continuous extract systems, to whole-house mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), which supplies fresh air and recovers heat from the outgoing air. MVHR only works well in a fairly airtight house and needs space for ducts and regular filter changes. The ventilation strategy should be decided in the plan, not as an afterthought.
Make a requestRules that apply to renovation
Keep every certificate; a buyer's solicitor will want them.
Old solid-walled buildings built with lime mortar and breathable finishes need materials that let moisture escape, and the wrong product can do more harm than good.
Getting more from the heating you have
Not every retrofit needs a new heating system straight away. Balancing radiators, fitting thermostatic radiator valves, adding a room thermostat or weather compensation, cleaning a sludged system and lowering the boiler's flow temperature can all improve comfort and efficiency. A condensing gas boiler only condenses, and so reaches its rated efficiency, when the water coming back to it is cool enough.
A good retrofit plan covers
- a survey of the building's condition, damp, ventilation and how you use the house
- the measures in order, with the reasons for that order
- the effect of each measure on heat demand and the heating size needed afterwards
- how ventilation will be provided once the house is tighter
- who is responsible for each trade, and who coordinates them
- which grants may apply and what they require
In Ireland: SEAI grants and the BER
For a whole-home upgrade, SEAI grants may help; the details are below with sources. For a complete upgrade, the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme works through SEAI-registered One Stop Shops, which manage the whole job to at least a B2 BER and deduct the grant from the cost upfront.
A Building Energy Rating (BER) is needed when a home is sold or let, and an assessment is part of most upgrade schemes. Ask the installer whether they are SEAI-registered, because only registered contractors can carry out grant-aided work.
Source: seai.ie
SEAI and local authority grants
National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (One Stop Shop) (SEAI, through registered One Stop Shops): Complete home energy upgrade to at least a B2 BER, fully managed by an SEAI-registered One Stop Shop from assessment to final BER; the grant is deducted from the cost of works upfront and low-cost financing is available.
Only the scheme operator decides whether you qualify. For SEAI grants, approval must usually be in place before work starts, so agree the timing with the business before you sign.
Source: seai.ie
One request, one business: how Offrano works
You confirm your mobile number with a text code and your email address with a link. We then show the request to businesses in your area, without your name or contact details. Only one business can take it on; it pays Offrano for the request, and it costs you nothing.
Before that business sees your details, we email you its name, address and phone number. We check only that it is a registered business, for example through its Companies Registration Office entry or VAT number, not the quality of its work. We cannot promise that a business will respond; if nobody takes the request within 21 days, we withdraw it. Offrano is not a party to any contract for the work.
Grants in Ireland
These schemes may apply to your project. What counts are the provider's conditions at the time you apply.
National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (One Stop Shop)
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), über registrierte One Stop Shops
Complete home energy upgrade to at least a B2 BER, fully managed by an SEAI-registered One Stop Shop from assessment to final BER; the grant is deducted from the cost of works upfront and low-cost financing is available.
Source: www.seai.ie · As of 09.2026
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start with an energy retrofit?
With a survey and a written plan. After that, the usual order is to fix damp and repairs, then reduce heat loss with insulation and draught-proofing, sort out ventilation, and size any new heating system last, for the improved house.
Do I need MVHR after insulating?
Not always. Many homes manage with good extractor fans and trickle vents. MVHR suits houses that have become quite airtight, usually after a deep retrofit. What matters is that the plan includes a ventilation strategy of some kind.
Can I do a retrofit in stages?
Yes, and most people do. The important thing is to decide the order up front, so that later stages do not undo earlier ones, for example windows fitted before external wall insulation without planning the reveals.
What is a One Stop Shop?
An SEAI-registered company that manages a complete home energy upgrade to at least a B2 BER, from assessment to final rating, and deducts the grant upfront.
Source: seai.ie
Why does only one business get my request?
So that you are not called by several firms at once. The business that takes it on has the request to itself.
Can I withdraw my request?
Yes, through the link in any email from Offrano. If a business has already taken it on, we pass your withdrawal to it straight away.
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