One Stop Shop or individual grants?

The essentials

Separate the scheme from the service

Individual grants can fund one or several upgrades. You can manage them yourself, or ask a participating One Stop Shop to manage them.
The whole-home One Stop Shop scheme has a separate BER target and energy-improvement condition. Hiring a One Stop Shop does not by itself identify the scheme.
A One Stop Shop deducts approved grants from your bill. A self-managed contractor may also offer this; otherwise plan to pay the full bill before claiming.
Compare the complete work, grants, fees, excluded repairs and payment dates in writing before committing.

A One Stop Shop is a provider registered with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Ireland’s national energy authority, to arrange home energy upgrades. A provider is not a grant scheme: ask which scheme it proposes to use for your home.

The whole-home scheme is called the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme. SEAI’s individual-grants guidance sets out the alternative for smaller or phased projects.

Compare the two funding approaches

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to compare both routes.

Individual grants and the whole-home scheme compared
Question	Individual grants	Whole-home One Stop Shop scheme
How much work?	One or several eligible upgrades, together or in stages.	A coordinated project meeting the whole-home performance conditions below.
Who organises it?	You choose registered contractors and manage the application, or a participating One Stop Shop does this for you.	A registered One Stop Shop manages the assessment, application, contractors and completion.
What performance target?	Each funded upgrade has its own technical conditions; this is not a promise to bring the whole home to BER B.	BER B or better, plus the heat-pump or energy-reduction condition below.
When is the grant deducted?	Usually paid after work and paperwork. A contractor can agree to deduct it; a participating One Stop Shop deducts it upfront.	The provider deducts approved grants from the price invoiced to you and claims them from SEAI.
What might favour it?	A suitable attic or wall job now, or a phased plan with a limited budget.	Several connected upgrades you can fund together, with one provider coordinating them.

The Building Energy Rating (BER) records a home’s calculated energy performance. It helps plan improvements, but a letter alone does not show which construction work suits the house. Use our whole-house upgrade guide to prepare for a survey.

Check the whole-home conditions

Under SEAI’s current standard whole-home rules, the home must have been built and occupied before 2011. Private homeowners, private landlords and approved housing bodies can participate; the scheme guidelines exclude corporate landlords. A tenant should ask the owner to arrange the project and any permissions.

The completed project must achieve BER B or better, and must also either:

Include a heat pump, an electrically powered system that moves heat into the home; or
Reduce calculated primary energy use by at least 100 kWh per square metre per year. This compares energy use before and after the works, allowing for energy used to supply fuels and electricity as well as energy used in the home. It is a reduction, despite SEAI calling it an “uplift”.

Ask the One Stop Shop to show the proposed before-and-after calculations and the upgrades needed to meet both conditions. Insulation alone does not automatically qualify. Under the scheme’s terms, reaching the required performance matters for payment: settle who is responsible if the finished home falls short before you sign.

The package can include floor insulation, ventilation and project management as well as attic and wall work. Availability within that package does not create an individual grant for the same item. Check the grant guide for individual insulation amounts and the official whole-home page for that scheme’s separate schedule. Never add both for one job.

For a traditional stone or solid-wall home, typically built before 1940, ask SEAI about its Traditional Homes Pilot. It has a specialist process and separate guidance; do not assume a standard wall system or standard scheme conditions fit it. For an apartment, establish who can consent to changes to shared walls, roofs or external equipment before booking work.

Decide whether to buy an assessment first

A One Stop Shop home energy assessment includes a BER, technical recommendations, heat-pump suitability assessment and estimated upgrade costs. It is more detailed than a BER certificate alone. Ask several providers for the assessment price, the amount of grant deducted and what report you receive.

SEAI’s assessment guidance says the assessment grant can be claimed once per property. It remains available if you decide not to proceed with the recommended upgrades. You can take the report to another registered One Stop Shop or choose individual upgrades instead. Paying for an assessment does not commit you to a full renovation.

Have the provider confirm the assessment grant offer before the assessment starts. If you go ahead with works, get confirmation of the separate works approval before they start too. Keep a copy of the complete report so another provider can price the same proposal. Our BER guide explains the certificate and advisory report.

Compare the amount you must pay

Ask each bidder for the full price including VAT, each proposed grant and the balance you pay. Compare the same finished job, not just headline grant totals. A quote with more funded measures may still require more of your own money.

Use this checklist for both managed and self-managed offers:

Included work: which rooms, roof areas, walls and floors are treated, to what specification, and how ventilation supplies fresh air and removes moist air.
Repairs and finishing: damp investigation, access, scaffolding, electrical changes, moving fittings, plastering, decorating and rubbish removal. Mark every exclusion and obtain a price for necessary extra work.
Services and fees: assessment, design, project management, final BER, quality checks and any additional charges. If the proposed scheme includes a grant towards project management, ask the provider to show that grant and the management fee separately in the quote.
Money and dates: deposit, stage payments, final payment, planned start and finish, and what happens if approval, work or payment is delayed.
Responsibility: who signs the contract, who coordinates different trades, who handles defects, and what happens to the bill if grant funding is refused or reduced.

For a self-managed individual grant, plan to fund the full bill unless your contractor agrees in writing to deduct the grant and receive it directly. Payment to the contractor still depends on completed work and correct grant paperwork; agree how any delay affects your payment obligations. Check that each installer is registered for the actual measure, using SEAI’s contractor search.

For a One Stop Shop, ask for its proposed payment schedule against the price after grants. Grant deduction does not mean no deposit or no stage payments. If you need a loan, confirm approval, repayment costs and when funds become available before signing for work; a possible grant does not itself provide the remaining finance.

Choose a route and get it approved

If one suitable insulation job is the priority: obtain a survey and comparable quotes from registered installers. Check your individual-grant eligibility and any higher-rate conditions in the grant guide. If you want help managing it, ask participating One Stop Shops whether they offer this individual-upgrade service in your area.

If several connected upgrades are affordable now: contact a few providers from SEAI’s registered One Stop Shop list. Ask for an assessment proposal and a written whole-home package with its performance calculations, grant schedule and exclusions.

If you may qualify for fully funded work: check Warmer Homes before committing to a paid project. SEAI checks eligibility, surveys the home and assigns its contractor under that separate scheme.

For either paid route, give SEAI or the provider the home’s Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), the 11-digit electricity connection number on your bill, and details of previous grants and open applications. Confirm which measures remain eligible before relying on a quote’s grant deductions.

For a self-managed individual application, apply and accept the grant offer before work starts or materials are bought. With a One Stop Shop, ask it to confirm the correct scheme, accepted grant offer, eligible work and expiry date in writing before authorising the start. Book the work and final BER within that timetable; contact SEAI or the provider before a delay puts it at risk.

Keep the completion records

Agree before work who books the final BER and handles payment forms. At handover, obtain the invoice, payment records, warranties, product details and safety file, the contractor’s bundle of installation and certification records. Ask for instructions for new ventilation or heating controls and a contact for defects.

For self-managed individual grants, the completed Declaration of Works and Request for Payment forms are part of the claim; invoices alone do not replace them. For a One Stop Shop project, confirm it has submitted the required completion documents and give access if SEAI selects the home for inspection. Keep your own copies of the final BER and advisory report for future work.

Use our costs and grants checker to prepare for quote enquiries. It offers an initial insulation comparison; the provider’s survey, written proposal and SEAI approval settle the project you can actually book.

Common questions

Does using a One Stop Shop mean I must reach BER B?

Not necessarily. SEAI also allows participating One Stop Shops to manage individual grants. The BER B and additional energy-improvement conditions apply to the whole-home National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme. Ask the provider to name the scheme and its requirements in your written quote.

Must I use the provider that assessed my home?

No. SEAI says you can take a One Stop Shop home energy assessment to another registered One Stop Shop. You can also decide not to proceed with the recommended upgrades, or choose individual grants instead. Confirm the assessment price, grant arrangements and report delivery before booking it.

Can I claim both routes for the same insulation?

No. Tell the provider and SEAI about earlier grants and applications already open for the property. Have the correct route and eligible measures confirmed before committing; do not add an individual grant and a whole-home grant for the same work.

Is the One Stop Shop route free?

No. It deducts approved grants, but you pay the remaining agreed price and any separately agreed work. The fully funded Warmer Homes Scheme is a different route with household eligibility rules and an SEAI-appointed contractor. Read our Warmer Homes guide before committing to paid work if you may qualify.

Work out your own numbers

Grant total: add up what each SEAI route pays for your upgrades.
Which grant route: five questions to find where to apply first.

Sources and review

Reviewed by Rudy Greene on 31 October 2026. Sources were last checked on 30 October 2026. The review checks published guidance; ask a contractor to survey and design the work for your home.