Grants to fully fund renovations in ROI are extended.
Grants for those in receipt of welfare payments in ROI are excellent if you plan to increase the energy efficiency of your home, with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (see seai.ie) funding all or most of the costs in many cases. Terms and conditions apply depending on the scheme, such as the house having been built and occupied before 2006.
Now the Department of Housing announced in March it was increasing the funding pot for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, setting €75 million aside for the scheme.
The fund, which supports home adaptations for older people, those with a disability and people with mobility issues, is 80 per cent exchequer funding through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with 20 per cent funding from the relevant local authority.
Grants of up to €30,000 are available to assist people with a disability in carrying out necessary works to make a house more suitable for their needs, up to €8,000 to assist older people to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out and up to €6,000 for mobility aids. Funding has been increasing year on year since 2014.
In NI the Disabled Facilities Grant could see all of the works recommended by an Occupational Therapist funded (up to £25,000); the Home Repairs Assistance Grant is harder to get and capped at £5,000 over a three year period.
Meanwhile in the UK, the Green Homes Grant, which wasn’t available in NI, was scrapped due to a lack of uptake.
