Heat pump research and media resources

Heat Pump Installation Ireland analyses public data on heat pump costs, SEAI grants and how Irish homes are heated. We can help with the data behind a story: county figures, source details, charts, and how our calculator reaches its numbers. Everything here is free to use with a credit, without registering.

Latest research

The cost of switching to a heat pump in Ireland: 2026 report, published 14 October 2026. It sets SEAI's median prices from real grant-funded jobs against published price guides, explains the new grant of up to €14,500, models running costs against oil and gas, and maps oil heating across the 26 counties from CSO data released 26 August 2026. County-level figures are on the home heating statistics by county page, with a section for each county.

Key findings

1. 1.Oil was the main space heating fuel in 34% of Ireland's 1,367,605 BER-rated dwellings, the same share as mains gas. By county it was highest in Donegal (72%), Mayo (68%), Roscommon (67%).¹

   Say "BER-rated dwellings", not "homes": BER records cover dwellings rated since 2009.

   Cite: Source: CSO, Domestic Building Energy Ratings Q2 2026, via HeatPumpInstallation.ie (https://heatpumpinstallation.ie/research/heat-pump-statistics-by-county/)

2. 2.15% of BER-rated dwellings had a heat pump.¹

   A CSO figure, from Table 14 of the same release.

   Cite: Source: CSO, Domestic Building Energy Ratings Q2 2026 (Table 14)

3. 3.SEAI's median price for a heat pump in a semi-detached or end of terrace house was €16,741, from grant-funded jobs paid January to June 2026 (detached €17,000, mid-terrace €16,000, apartment €9,025).²

   Observed medians published by SEAI, paid under the grant in force before October 2026. Not a 2026 quote survey.

   Cite: Source: SEAI median costs of individual energy upgrades (Jan–Jun 2026), compiled by HeatPumpInstallation.ie (https://heatpumpinstallation.ie/research/irish-heat-pump-cost-report-2026/)

4. 4.Since 6 October 2026 the SEAI heat pump grant for a house is up to €14,500: €10,500 for the heat pump, up to €2,000 only where new radiators are needed, and €2,000 only where a qualifying boiler or heating system is removed.³

   The maximum isn't automatic, and the grant never exceeds the cost of the works.

   Cite: Source: SEAI heat pump grant rules

5. 5.For a typical 1978–1999 oil-heated semi-detached house, a heat pump would cost €450–€1,060 a year to run at standard electricity prices, against €1,030–€1,210 for oil. At the bottom of SEAI's efficiency range it can cost almost as much as oil.⁴

   Modelled with SEAI fuel prices (1 July 2026); excludes standing charges. Say "modelled" or "estimated".

   Cite: Source: HeatPumpInstallation.ie model using SEAI fuel prices (https://heatpumpinstallation.ie/research/irish-heat-pump-cost-report-2026/)

Downloads

Direct links, no sign-up. Data files match the figures on our pages exactly.

Charts

Each chart has its title, units, source and period inside the image. PNG is 2400 pixels wide; SVG scales to any size.

• Oil heating by countyPNG Oil heating by countySVG Oil heating by county
• Running cost by heat pump efficiencyPNG Running cost by heat pump efficiencySVG Running cost by heat pump efficiency
• Price guides vs SEAI median pricesPNG Price guides vs SEAI median pricesSVG Price guides vs SEAI median prices

How to cite our research

Name the original source as well as us: the statistics are the CSO's and SEAI's; the analysis, combinations, models and charts are ours. Adapt the wording to the figure you use.

Please don't describe our modelled running costs or after-grant costs as measured averages, or a BER-based share as a share of all homes. Each county has its own suggested citation on the county page.

Embed the heat pump calculator

Publishers can put our heat pump cost calculator on their own pages, free and without registering. It runs the same engine and figures as our site, shows no pop-ups or forms, stores nothing, and collects no personal data. It works only on https pages.

<iframe src="https://heatpumpinstallation.ie/embed/heat-pump-calculator/" title="Heat pump cost calculator by Heat Pump Installation Ireland" width="100%" height="1500" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>

It needs about 1,500 pixels of height on a phone, less on a wide screen. The calculator shows a small "By Heat Pump Installation Ireland" credit; you don't need to add a link of your own. Preview the embedded calculator.

Media contact

Email hello@heatpumpinstallation.ie. We can usually help with:

• the research data, and figures for a particular county or comparison of counties;
• source details and how a figure was worked out;
• chart files in other sizes or for a single county;
• the method and assumptions behind the calculator.

We answer by email, and we'll tell you if a question needs an installer or an energy assessor rather than us.

Reuse policy

• Our tables, charts, county combinations and models are free to reuse under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0): credit Heat Pump Installation Ireland. A link is welcome, never required, and it can be nofollow.
• CSO statistics are the CSO's, reused under its CC BY 4.0 licence; credit the CSO.⁵
• SEAI figures (grant amounts, median prices, fuel prices, grant statistics) are SEAI's; credit SEAI and check its terms for anything beyond quoting the figures.
• Please don't edit a chart's figures or remove its source line, and don't imply that the CSO or SEAI endorses our analysis.