Window grants in Carlow

SEAI pays the same grant in every county. The homes aren't the same. Against the national figures, these are the things that stand out in Carlow, from Carlow, Tullow and Bagenalstown to the rest of the county:

• 51% of Carlow's pre-2011 BERs pass the heat loss test, against 49% nationally, the 9th highest of the 26 counties. That's the share of homes ready for the window grant without insulating first.
• Only 5.9% of Carlow's pre-2011 BERs show single glazing, against 7.3% nationally. Most Carlow windows the grant would replace are older double glazing: 55% of certificates.
• Carlow is milder than average. Near Carlow town, Met Éireann's averages give about 1,969 heating degree days a year, against 2,079 for Ireland. The same window loses about 5% less heat here, so new glazing saves a little less.
• Detached houses are 51% of Carlow homes, against 41% nationally (Census 2022). They get the top windows grant, €4,000, and the most glass of any home type.

Carlow and Ireland compared

Households and year built: CSO Census 2022 (table F2007A), councils in the county added together. BER figures: SEAI BER Research Tool, the full public file downloaded 29 October 2026: 751,700 certificates for existing homes built before 2011, leaving out the BERs done for grant claims. Degree days near Carlow town: our sum from Met Éireann's 1991–2020 grid. Ranks are ours, 1st being the highest.

Next door, the share of pre-2011 BERs that pass the heat loss test: Kildare 55%, Wicklow 43%, Wexford 42%, Kilkenny 48%, Laois 55%. All 26 counties side by side.

The grant is for replacing single-glazed and older double-glazed windows. On Carlow's BER certificates for homes built before 2011, 5.9% show single glazing and 55% older double glazing. In homes built before 1978 the single glazing share is 16%, against 17% nationally (SEAI's BER register).

Source: SEAI's BER register, as above. Bands are ours.

The size of the job is the glass. SEAI's grant is fixed by home type, so the more window a house has, the more of the bill is left to you. Of Carlow houses built before 2011, the commonest type is the detached house (Census 2022). On BERs the median detached house has 22.5 m² of window, against 23.7 m² nationally, so the fixed grant covers more of the job. SEAI publishes its median costs nationally, not by county: a windows upgrade on a semi-D cost a median €7,110 from January to June 2026, and on a detached house €10,453 (SEAI's median costs PDF).

Median window area recorded on BER certificates for Carlow homes built before 2011: SEAI's BER register, as above. Our medians.

The grant is the same in Carlow as in every other county: a fixed amount for the windows by home type, whatever the number of windows, plus €800 for each external door, up to two.

Source: SEAI windows and doors grant, checked 29 October 2026.

What's left after the grant, on SEAI's national median costs for January to June 2026. No county medians are published, so none are given here:

Costs: SEAI median costs, January to June 2026, from SEAI's median costs PDF (a sample of 23,412 completed upgrades; the cost each contractor submitted to SEAI at grant payment; VAT status not stated on the PDF), read 29 October 2026. Grants: seai.ie, checked 29 October 2026.

• A home built and occupied before 2011, with an MPRN
• Single or older double glazing being replaced
• Good or Very Good heat loss on the BER after the work
• An SEAI-registered contractor, and SEAI's approval before work starts

The rules in full: SEAI window grant, door grant, how to apply and One Stop Shop or apply yourself. Over 66? Your council's grant is on window grants over 66.