You pay, after the grant
€2,000–€8,500
Before any running-cost savings
That example is a 3-bed semi-detached house built between 1978 and 1999, heated by oil, that needs some new radiators. Your figure depends on your home's size, how well it holds heat, and what's there already. Work out your cost after the grant for your own home, or get heat pump installation quotes from SEAI-registered installers in your county.
Heat pump cost by home size
These are installed prices for an air to water system, the type in most Irish homes, before any grant and including VAT. What decides the price is how much heat the home loses and what's already there (radiators, cylinder, electrics), more than floor area alone. The guides differ on what they include, so our calculator adds radiator upgrades separately when you say they're needed.
| Home | Before grant | After €10,500 heat pump grant | After the full €14,500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small home, under 90 m² | €13,000–€16,000 | €2,500–€5,500 | €0–€1,500 |
| Typical 3-bed semi-d, 90–130 m² | €15,000–€18,000 | €4,500–€7,500 | €500–€3,500 |
| 4-bed detached, 130–180 m² | €17,000–€22,000 | €6,500–€11,500 | €2,500–€7,500 |
| Large detached, over 180 m² | €20,000–€28,000 | €9,500–€17,500 | €5,500–€13,500 |
Small home, under 90 m²
- Before grant
- €13,000–€16,000
- After €10,500 heat pump grant
- €2,500–€5,500
- After the full €14,500
- €0–€1,500
Typical 3-bed semi-d, 90–130 m²
- Before grant
- €15,000–€18,000
- After €10,500 heat pump grant
- €4,500–€7,500
- After the full €14,500
- €500–€3,500
4-bed detached, 130–180 m²
- Before grant
- €17,000–€22,000
- After €10,500 heat pump grant
- €6,500–€11,500
- After the full €14,500
- €2,500–€7,500
Large detached, over 180 m²
- Before grant
- €20,000–€28,000
- After €10,500 heat pump grant
- €9,500–€17,500
- After the full €14,500
- €5,500–€13,500
Checked 10/10/2026 · getsolarpanels.ie1
The middle column is the minimum grant every eligible house gets for the heat pump itself. The last column assumes the home also qualifies for the €2,000 central heating grant and the €2,000 boiler scrappage grant. Apartments have a lower maximum of €11,500.
As a check on the guides: SEAI's median price for a heat pump in a semi-detached home, across real jobs in its Better Energy Homes scheme from January to June 2025, was €16,833, plus €276 for the BER.4
What you pay after the grant
For a house, SEAI pays up to €14,500 in three parts. Every eligible heat pump gets the first part. The other two depend on your home: whether your installer's design needs new radiators or underfloor heating, and whether you're removing an oil or gas boiler, solid fuel system or electric storage heating. The SEAI heat pump grant guide covers who qualifies and how to apply.
- €10,500Heat pump unit
- €2,000Radiators or underfloor
- €2,000Boiler scrappage
Checked 09/10/2026 · seai.ie3
The honest bit
SEAI never pays more than the cost of the works, so a €14,500 grant doesn't mean a €14,500 discount on a cheaper job. Some lower-cost qualifying jobs could be almost or entirely covered, but many retrofits still need a contribution. The grant only rose on 6 October 2026, so there's no evidence yet on whether prices have moved since. That's why we show ranges, and why it's worth comparing more than one quote.
Many registered installers will quote you the price with the grant already taken off: you nominate their bank account on SEAI's payment form, and SEAI pays them directly. The supply and installation of a heat pump system has been charged at the reduced VAT rate of 9% since 1 January 2025,5 and the prices on this page include it.
What's in a heat pump quote
A quote should list each of these separately. If one is missing, ask whether it's included.
| Item | Typical price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump unit | €3,000–€7,000 | Sized to your home's heat loss, not its floor area alone |
| Labour and pipework | €2,000–€5,000 | Fitting, pipework, electrics and commissioning |
| Hot water cylinder | €800–€2,500 | A heat pump needs a cylinder; combi boiler homes often have none |
| Radiator upgrades | €1,500–€5,000 | Only where the design says rooms need bigger radiators |
| Post-works BER | about €276 | Required before the grant is paid; SEAI pays €50 towards your first. A valid existing BER can do for before the works |
| Old system removal | Ask | Draining, removing the boiler and oil tank, and disposal. The scrappage grant depends on it, so get it in writing |
| Electrical work | Ask | A Registered Electrical Contractor checks your board and supply. A standard 12 kVA ESB connection is usually enough |
| Buffer tank, extra controls | Ask | Depends on the design, not every job needs them. Weather compensation should come as standard |
Heat pump unit
- Typical price
- €3,000–€7,000
- Good to know
- Sized to your home's heat loss, not its floor area alone
Labour and pipework
- Typical price
- €2,000–€5,000
- Good to know
- Fitting, pipework, electrics and commissioning
Hot water cylinder
- Typical price
- €800–€2,500
- Good to know
- A heat pump needs a cylinder; combi boiler homes often have none
Radiator upgrades
- Typical price
- €1,500–€5,000
- Good to know
- Only where the design says rooms need bigger radiators
Post-works BER
- Typical price
- about €276
- Good to know
- Required before the grant is paid; SEAI pays €50 towards your first. A valid existing BER can do for before the works
Old system removal
- Typical price
- Ask
- Good to know
- Draining, removing the boiler and oil tank, and disposal. The scrappage grant depends on it, so get it in writing
Electrical work
- Typical price
- Ask
- Good to know
- A Registered Electrical Contractor checks your board and supply. A standard 12 kVA ESB connection is usually enough
Buffer tank, extra controls
- Typical price
- Ask
- Good to know
- Depends on the design, not every job needs them. Weather compensation should come as standard
Checked 10/10/2026 · homeupgrade.ie2
Homes built before 2007 also usually need a technical assessment before you apply, which checks how quickly the home loses heat. SEAI pays a €200 grant towards it when you go on to get the heat pump grant. Some quotes also include electrical upgrades, removing the old boiler and oil tank, and smart controls, so compare like for like.
Cost after the grant: three worked examples
These come from the same heat pump calculator you can use, so they match it exactly. Each shows a range, because two homes of the same type can need very different systems.
3-bed semi-d, 1978–1999, oil heating, BER unknown
- Installed
- €16,500–€23,000
- SEAI grant
- up to €14,500
- You pay
- €2,000–€8,500
- A technical assessment is needed before applying (homes built before 2007), unless your BER shows a Heat Loss Indicator of 2.3 or less.
Bungalow built before 1978, oil heating, BER E1
- Installed
- €17,000–€27,000
- SEAI grant
- up to €12,500–€14,500
- You pay
- €2,500–€14,500
- A technical assessment is needed before applying (homes built before 2007), unless your BER shows a Heat Loss Indicator of 2.3 or less.
- The central heating grant applies only if your installer's design needs new radiators or underfloor heating.
Apartment, 2007–2020, storage heaters, BER B
- Installed
- €14,500–€21,000
- SEAI grant
- up to €11,500
- You pay
- €3,000–€9,500
Why heat pump quotes differ
Two quotes for the same house can be thousands of euro apart. These are the usual reasons.
- Heat loss, not floor area. A well-insulated 4-bed can need a smaller heat pump than a draughty 3-bed. A proper quote starts with a room-by-room heat loss calculation.
- Radiators. Heat pumps run at lower water temperatures than boilers, so some rooms need larger radiators. One installer may replace most of them; another may only change a few.
- Hot water. A new cylinder and somewhere to put it, which is harder in homes that had a combi boiler.
- Where the outdoor unit goes. Long pipe runs, awkward access or a unit that needs a base or wall brackets add labour.
- Brand and size of unit. Prices vary between manufacturers and output sizes. A bigger unit than you need costs more to buy and runs less efficiently.
What's in the quote matters as much as the total: the heat loss calculation, the radiator schedule, the cylinder, controls, commissioning, the paperwork SEAI needs, and the warranty.
Other types of heat pump
Air to water is the most common system in Ireland and the one most of this page is about. The other types cost more or less and get different grants. Read more about how air to water systems work and how they compare.
| Type | Before grant | Maximum grant (house) |
|---|---|---|
| Ground source | €20,000–€30,000 | Up to €14,500 |
| Exhaust air | No reliable published price | Up to €14,500 |
| Air to air | €3,000–€8,000 | Up to €9,500 |
Ground source
- Before grant
- €20,000–€30,000
- Maximum grant (house)
- Up to €14,500
Exhaust air
- Before grant
- No reliable published price
- Maximum grant (house)
- Up to €14,500
Air to air
- Before grant
- €3,000–€8,000
- Maximum grant (house)
- Up to €9,500
Checked 10/10/2026 · hvacinireland.ie1
Boreholes and difficult ground can cost more, because of the trenches or boreholes. Air to air systems heat rooms but not hot water, so you'd need another way to heat water.
What a heat pump costs to run
The price of the installation is only half the picture. For the 3-bed semi-d above, a heat pump would cost about €450–€1,060 a year to run at standard electricity prices, depending on how well it's designed and set up (about €690 at the average efficiency measured in Irish homes), against €1,030–€1,210 for oil now. See heat pump running costs compared with oil and gas for more homes.
The honest bit
At standard electricity prices, switching from oil can save little in some homes, and a poorly designed system can cost more to run. The tariff you choose and a good heat loss design make the biggest difference. We'd rather you knew that before you buy.
Checked 09/10/2026 · seai.ie6
How we keep these prices current
We check every figure on this page against its source each month and show the date beside it. When a figure changes, we note it here.
- 6 October 2026: SEAI's maximum grant for a house rose to €14,500 (from €12,500), with the new €2,000 boiler scrappage grant. Every after-grant figure on this page uses the new amounts.