The SEAI heating controls grant is worth €700 ( Source: SEAI, 12 June 2026 ) towards upgrading your home’s heating controls, the zoning, timers and thermostats that decide when and where your heating runs. It is one of the cheapest, highest-impact upgrades, and it is frequently a prerequisite before you can install a heat pump.
How much is the grant?
| Measure | Grant |
|---|---|
| Heating controls upgrade | €700 |
Source: Source: SEAI, 12 June 2026 . The grant is a fixed contribution towards a controls upgrade carried out by a registered contractor.
What qualifies as a heating controls upgrade
To claim the grant, the work must bring your system up to a defined standard. A qualifying upgrade typically includes:
- Zoning — separate control of heating zones, and separation of space heating from hot-water heating, so you are not heating the whole house to warm one room.
- Time control — a programmer or timer that lets you set heating schedules.
- Temperature control — a room thermostat, ideally a programmable or smart thermostat, so the boiler stops once the target temperature is reached.
- Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) — fitted to radiators so each room can be controlled individually, where appropriate.
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Zoning | Heats only the areas you use |
| Programmer / timer | Sets when heating runs |
| Room / smart thermostat | Stops heating at target temperature |
| TRVs | Per-room temperature control |
Simply replacing a thermostat on its own may not meet the standard; the upgrade has to deliver proper zoning and control together.
Why it is often a heat pump prerequisite
A heat pump delivers heat at a lower, steadier temperature than a gas or oil boiler. It only achieves its efficiency, and the running-cost savings, when the home has good zoning and temperature control to avoid wasting that gently delivered heat.
Because of this, SEAI expects adequate heating controls to be in place for a heat pump grant. In practice, many homeowners do the controls upgrade before or alongside the heat pump. Getting controls sorted first also makes your existing boiler run more efficiently in the meantime.
Where it fits in a retrofit
Heating controls sit early in a sensible upgrade sequence:
- Insulation (attic and walls)
- Heating controls
- Heat pump, once fabric and controls are in place
This order keeps each step affordable and means your heat pump can be sized smaller. For the full picture of how the grants stack together, see the SEAI grants guide.
Eligibility
- The home must have been built and occupied before 2011 for the standard grant.
- You must own the property.
- The work must be carried out by an SEAI-registered contractor.
- You cannot have already claimed the heating controls grant for this home.
For the full eligibility rules across measures, see SEAI grant eligibility.
How to claim
Heating controls follow the standard SEAI process: apply, get written approval before any work, complete the upgrade with a registered contractor, then submit your claim. The detailed walkthrough is on our how to apply for an SEAI grant page.
Tips
- If a heat pump is on your roadmap, do controls now so the home is heat-pump ready.
- Ask your contractor to confirm the upgrade meets SEAI’s controls standard before works begin.
- Smart thermostats add convenience and can sharpen savings, but check they qualify.
Check your eligibility
A controls upgrade is one of the easiest grants to start with, and it sets your home up for bigger savings later.