This is the self-managed route, where you apply for the grant and hire an SEAI-registered contractor. For the bigger picture, start with our heat pump installation guide; for the money, see the SEAI heat pump grant or work out your cost after the grant.
The four stages of a heat pump installation
- 1
- 2
Grant approval
Technical assessment if needed, then apply online.
Offer usually immediate online€200 assessment grant - 3
Installation
Outdoor unit, cylinder, any new radiators, controls and commissioning.
Within 8 months of the offer - 4
BER and payment
Post-works BER, sign the Declaration of Works, SEAI pays.
Paid 4–6 weeks after forms€50 BER grant
1. Survey, heat loss and quotes
A good installer visits before quoting. They measure the rooms, note the insulation, windows and existing radiators, and work out the home's heat loss room by room. That decides the size of the heat pump, which radiators need replacing, and where the outdoor unit and the hot water cylinder can go.
Get more than one quote and compare what's in each, not just the total. Our guide on how to choose an installer has the questions to ask. The installer must be registered with SEAI for heat pumps, or the grant won't be paid.
2. Technical assessment and grant approval
Homes built before 2007 need the technical assessment first, unless a valid BER shows a Heat Loss Indicator of 2.3 or less. A registered technical advisor checks how quickly the home loses heat and may recommend insulation before a heat pump. SEAI pays €200 towards it when you also apply for the heat pump grant.
Then you apply on SEAI's website, naming your contractor. Online, the grant offer usually comes immediately. Nothing can start until you have it: work done before approval isn't covered.
Checked 09/10/2026 · seai.ie2
3. Installation day
The work usually covers:
- The outdoor unit, on a base or wall brackets, with pipes running into the house.
- A hot water cylinder sized for the heat pump, and the controls.
- New radiators or underfloor heating in rooms the design says need them.
- Removing the old boiler (and oil tank, if agreed) where you're replacing one.
- Electrics, certified by a registered electrical contractor.
- Commissioning: filling, testing and setting up the system, then showing you how to use it.
Expect some time without heating or hot water while the old system comes out and the new one goes in. Ask your installer how long, and plan around it.
Before they leave, the contractor must give you a safety file:
- RECI (electrical) certificate
- Commissioning certificate
- User manual
- F-Gas certificate (if applicable)
- Ecodesign datasheet
Running it well
A heat pump heats at lower water temperatures than a boiler and works best running steadily, not in short bursts. Your installer should set it up for your home and explain the controls before they go.
4. Post-works BER and grant payment
A SEAI-registered BER assessor rates the home after the works and publishes the BER. SEAI pays €50 towards it on your first grant application. Then three people sign the Declaration of Works: you, your seai-registered contractor and the ber assessor who did the post-works ber.
You send it to SEAI with the Request for Payment form, plus three heat pump documents from your contractor: the Ecodesign datasheet, the designer/installer sign-off form and the heating design details form. SEAI pays by bank transfer4–6 weeks after it receives compliant forms, to you or to your contractor if they took the grant off the price.
How long does heat pump installation take?
The deadlines are SEAI's; the rest depends on how busy installers and BER assessors are in your area.
| Stage | How long |
|---|---|
| Grant offer | Immediate when you apply online (postal: within 5 working days) |
| Accepting a postal offer | Within 30 days |
| Works, BER and paperwork | Within 8 months of the offer |
| Grant payment | 4–6 weeks after SEAI gets compliant forms |
Grant offer
- How long
- Immediate when you apply online (postal: within 5 working days)
Accepting a postal offer
- How long
- Within 30 days
Works, BER and paperwork
- How long
- Within 8 months of the offer
Grant payment
- How long
- 4–6 weeks after SEAI gets compliant forms
Checked 09/10/2026 · seai.ie1
The honest bit
The slow parts are rarely SEAI's. Good installers book up, and SEAI says BER assessors are in high demand, so book the BER as soon as you have a start date. If the 8 months run out, SEAI can still consider the claim with a cover letter explaining the delay.
Doing it yourself or using a One Stop Shop
Instead of applying yourself, you can use a One Stop Shop: a company registered with SEAI that applies for the grant, manages the whole upgrade and takes the grant off the price upfront. It suits bigger upgrades with insulation and windows as well as a heat pump. For a heat pump on its own, applying yourself is usually simpler, and registered contractors can still quote the price net of the grant.