Laois · checked 29 October 2026

Window grants in Laois

The grant is national. The homes in Laois aren't. What SEAI's BER register and Census 2022 say about homes in Portlaoise, Portarlington and Mountmellick, and what it means for new windows.

Check my grant 087 162 1846

Figures checked against seai.ie on 29 October 2026.

windowgrants.ie is not SEAI or a government body and does not award grants.

55%of Laois pre-2011 BERs pass the heat loss test

Call for a price

Call or text087 162 1846

€4,000 detached, €1,800 mid-terrace, €1,500 apartment
Plus €800 per door, up to two
One SEAI-registered contractor rings you

Check my grant

In Laois, 55% of BER certificates for homes built before 2011 already pass the heat loss test SEAI sets for the window grant, above the 49% for Ireland. The median detached house here has 21.3 m² of window on its BER, against 23.7 m² nationally, so the fixed grant covers more of the job.

The grant itself is the same in every county: €1,500 to €4,000 for the windows by home type, plus €800 a door for up to two (seai.ie, checked 29 October 2026). We pass your request to one SEAI-registered contractor who covers Laois.

What stands out about Laois homes

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 Laois, from Portlaoise, Portarlington and Mountmellick to the rest of the county:

55% of Laois's pre-2011 BERs pass the heat loss test, against 49% nationally, the highest of the 26 counties. That's the share of homes ready for the window grant without insulating first.
Windows here are smaller than average. The median Laois detached house has 21.3 m² of window on its BER, against 23.7 m² nationally. The grant is fixed, so it covers more of a smaller job.
Only 6.1% of Laois's pre-2011 BERs show single glazing, against 7.3% nationally. Most Laois windows the grant would replace are older double glazing: 54% of certificates.
Detached houses are 55% of Laois homes, against 41% nationally (Census 2022). They get the top windows grant, €4,000, and the most glass of any home type.

Laois and Ireland compared

	Laois	Ireland	Rank of 26
Households, Census 2022	31,112	1,836,728
Built before 2011, inside the grant	90%	90%
Built 2011 or later	8%	8%	5th
Detached houses	55%	41%	16th
BERs for homes built before 2011	11,122	751,700
HLI below 2.3: passes the heat loss test	55%	49%	1st
Single glazing (U-value 4.0 or more)	6.1%	7.3%	18th
Older double glazing (2.5 to 4.0)	54%	58%	20th
BERs for grant claims per 1,000 pre-2011 homes, 2026	40.2	42.1	22nd
Heating degree days a year	2,080	2,079	9th

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 Portlaoise: 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: Offaly 48%, Kildare 55%, Carlow 51%, Kilkenny 48%, Tipperary 40%. All 26 counties side by side.

The heat loss test in Laois

SEAI only pays for windows in a home that holds its heat. After the work, the BER advisory report must show Good or Very Good heat loss. An HLI below 2.3 on your current BER, or roof and walls rated Good, already meets it (seai.ie). Of the 3,311 Laois certificates for homes built before 2011 that show an HLI, 55% are below 2.3 and the median is 2.23.

Home type	Median HLI, Laois	Ireland	The median home
Detached house	2.50	2.65	2.3 or more: insulate first
Semi-D	2.13	2.35	Below 2.3: passes
End of terrace	2.19	2.45	Below 2.3: passes
Mid-terrace	2.13	2.30	Below 2.3: passes
Apartment	1.93	1.88	Below 2.3: passes

W/K/m², BER certificates for homes built before 2011 that show an HLI. Below 2.3 meets the heat loss test. Source: SEAI's BER register, as above. Our medians.

In Laois the median detached house sits at or above 2.3, so a typical one needs attic or wall insulation before SEAI pays for windows. The median semi-D, end of terrace, mid-terrace and apartment are already below it. Compared with Ireland as a whole, fewer Laois homes need that work first.

Wall and attic insulation have their own SEAI grants, and a previous SEAI insulation grant also counts towards showing the home is insulated (SEAI, 20 Feb 2026). Our sister sites cover cavity wall insulation in Laois and external wall insulation in Laois. How to read your own BER: window grant eligibility.

The windows on Laois BERs

The grant is for replacing single-glazed and older double-glazed windows. On Laois's BER certificates for homes built before 2011, 6.1% show single glazing and 54% older double glazing. In homes built before 1978 the single glazing share is 18%, against 17% nationally (SEAI's BER register).

Glazing on the BER (U-value)	Laois	Ireland
Single glazing (4.0 or more)	6.1%	7.3%
Older double glazing (2.5 to 4.0)	54%	58%
Newer double glazing (1.6 to 2.5)	36%	30%
1.6 or better	4%	5%

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 Laois houses built before 2011, the commonest type is the detached house (Census 2022). On BERs the median detached house has 21.3 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).

Home type	Window area, Laois	Ireland
Detached house	21.3 m²	23.7 m²
Semi-D	14.9 m²	17.0 m²
End of terrace	13.3 m²	13.7 m²
Mid-terrace	12.1 m²	12.5 m²
Apartment	8.5 m²	9.2 m²

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

Heating, weather and grant claims in Laois

The grant doesn't depend on the fuel, but the fuel prices the heat a window loses. 43% of Laois households heat mainly with oil (CSO Census 2022), and SEAI's fuel cost comparison of 1 July 2026 puts heating oil at 12.6c per kWh, VAT included (SEAI). Electricity, at 34.38c, costs more than twice as much per unit of heat as oil or gas. Coal, peat or wood heats 19% of Laois homes, against 9% nationally.

Main central heating	Laois	Ireland
Oil	43%	39%
Natural gas	25%	33%
Electricity	7%	12%
Coal, peat or wood	19%	9%

Share of all households, including those that didn't state a fuel: CSO Census 2022, table SAP2022T6T5CTY.

Portlaoise has about 2,080 heating degree days a year on Met Éireann's 1991–2020 averages, against 2,079 for Ireland (our sum, base 15.5°C). The heat a window loses rises in step with that number.

Every SEAI home grant needs a BER after the work, so the BERs done for grant claims track finished grant jobs of every kind. In Laois there were 816 in 2024, 971 in 2025 and 1,122 in 2026 up to 29 October: 40.2 per 1,000 homes built before 2011, against 42.1 nationally (SEAI's BER register). SEAI received over 7,000 windows and doors applications nationally in the first three months of the grant (SEAI).

The window grant by home type

The grant is the same in Laois 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.

Home type	Windows grant	Doors (up to two)	Most you can get
Detached house	€4,000	€800 each	€5,600
Semi-D or end of terrace	€3,000	€800 each	€4,600
Mid-terrace	€1,800	€800 each	€3,400
Apartment	€1,500	€800 each	€3,100

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:

Home type	SEAI median cost, windows	Windows grant	Typical cost after grant
Detached house	€10,453	€4,000	€6,453
Semi-D or end of terrace	€7,110	€3,000	€4,110
Mid-terrace	€4,650	€1,800	€2,850
Apartment	€4,196	€1,500	€2,696

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.

FAQ

Laois questions

Is the window grant different in Laois?

No. SEAI pays the same fixed amounts in every county: €1,500 to €4,000 for windows by home type, plus €800 a door, up to two. What differs is the homes: 55% of Laois's pre-2011 BERs already pass the heat loss test, against 49% nationally.

How many Laois homes pass the heat loss test?

55% of BER certificates for Laois homes built before 2011 that show an HLI are below 2.3, the highest share of the 26 counties. The median is 2.23. The median detached house is at or above 2.3.

How many Laois homes still have single glazing?

6.1% of BERs for Laois homes built before 2011 show single glazing, and 54% older double glazing with a U-value of 2.5 or worse. Both count for the grant.

How many Laois homes are too new for the grant?

Census 2022 counted 2,623 Laois households in homes built in 2011 or later, 8% of the total. SEAI's windows grant is only for homes built and occupied before 2011.

Who will ring me in Laois?

One SEAI-registered contractor who covers Laois. They look at the windows and doors, ask about your BER and give you a written price. Nothing is booked until you say yes, and SEAI approves the grant before any work starts.

Where these numbers come from (9 public sources, checked 29 October 2026)