The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland was created by the Government of Ireland to offer low-cost credit to Irish customers, while driving competition and innovation in the Irish finance market. It is supported by many governmental and intragovernmental bodies, including the EU.
The SBCI Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme (HEULS) is a government-backed longer term, lower cost loan Scheme, which supports comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades where those works are also being grant-aided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The Scheme aims to help reduce the financial challenges for many homeowners and small landlords, making residential energy upgrades more accessible and affordable.
The wider scheme, inclusive of all participating lenders provides for up to €500m which is to be part-funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication (“DECC”) and the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility under Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and will be backed by a counter guarantee provided by the European Investment Bank (“EIB”) and European Investment Fund (EIF).
A natural person (i.e. not a company) who:
The upgrade work must be carried out by a SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner, or Community Project Coordinator and is expected to result in a minimum energy efficiency improvement of 20% as compared to the existing BER. Qualifying customers can apply in respect of up to a maximum of three Relevant Properties.
You must engage with one SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner, or Community Project Coordinator to carry out an assessment of your home or residential property. These providers will give you a roadmap on how to improve the energy efficiency of the property and will provide you with a detailed quotation for the works depending on the options you choose.
As part of this quotation, the SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner, or Community Project Coordinator will provide you with a “Home Energy Summary Report”, outlining the technical and financial details of the proposed energy upgrade. This document should be provided as part of the loan application.
The key eligibility criteria for the Scheme are as follows:
The purpose of the loans is to help fund the cost of comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades where those works are also being grant-aided by SEAI. Only SEAI registered One Stop Shops, Energy Partners, or Community Project Coordinators must be used to participate in the SBCI Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme. They are registered to carry out works under the Home Energy Grants programme and authorised by SEAI to submit grant applications on behalf of homeowners. For more information on each please see the relevant link provided.
We can’t provide advice on making home energy improvements. If you’re unsure what home improvements to make, we recommend speaking to the SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner, or Community Project Coordinator to find out more about the products they offer, the grants available and what savings you could expect. Make sure you do your own research and are happy with your decision before agreeing to proceed. For more details and to find a provider please visit the SEAI website.
Please note, solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are only eligible for funding as a measure under the SBCI Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme, if installed as part of a deep retrofit.
Below are the steps you need to follow to apply for a loan .
Step 1: Select one of the SEAI registered One Stop Shops; Energy Partners, or Community Project Coordinators to carry out an energy assessment of your residential property.
Step 2: Complete the assessment through your chosen SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner, or Community Project Coordinator and you will receive a one page Home Energy Summary Report.
Step 3: Apply online, or call 081 883 7412
Please note: All new to bank customers will need to have their identification and address verified in branch.
You will need to provide personal details along with supporting documents to complete the application, so please have these ready when starting the application. The list of documents required can be found here.
The following sources can be used for details of the Scheme, the qualifying works, eligibility, find a provider and the funding options.
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Source |
Visit for details on |
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· HEULS details, · Eligibility criteria, · Government funding, · Guarantee details |
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· Information on home energy upgrades, · Qualifying works, · Grants, · Home Energy Assessment |
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· SEAI registered One Stop Shop Services and to find a provider |
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· SEAI Energy Partners and to find a provider |
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· SEAI Community Project Coordinators and to find a provider |
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· Product details, · Interest Rates, · Documentation Requirements, · Application form |
The loan must be used for the purposes upgrading the energy efficiency and de-carbonisation of a qualifying residential property in the Republic of Ireland, this means:
These metrics will be provided on the one page Home Energy Summary Report and will be tested along with other eligibility criteria by PTSB prior to accepting an application.
Loans under the Scheme may not be used for the following purposes;
Borrowers can obtain funds with low interest rates when compared to other unsecured loan products in the market, i.e. personal or home improvement loans.
Loans will be available up to 31 December 2026, or until the Scheme has been fully subscribed (whichever is earlier).
By meeting the criteria and successfully applying to the Scheme, it means you can avail of lower interest rates. The loans operate in the same way as our other personal loans and are structured as variable rate loans. The SBCI HEUL Scheme allows for a government funded interest rate subsidy of up to 2.00% which has been applied by PTSB and allows for a lower overall net rate to be charged when retrofitting your home.
Interest rates can be found here. All rates are variable and are subject to change over time.
Loans are available from €5,000 to €75,000 per property with a maximum of three properties including the primary residence per person.
Loans terms available are from 1 year to 10 years.
All applications must include a copy of the one page Home Energy Summary Report from the chosen SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner, or Community Project Coordinator and proof of PPSN number*.
If the salary is not paid into a PTSB account we will also require 6 months bank statements. Additional documents are required on a case by case basis i.e. if the customer is self-employed we will require financial accounts. In addition to the above, new to bank applicants will need to provide identification and proof of address and this must be verified by way of branch visit.
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Document |
New Customers |
Existing Customers |
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Universal Supplement (1 Pager) |
Required |
Required |
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Proof of PPSN |
Required |
Required |
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Identification |
Required |
Not Required |
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Proof of Address |
Required |
Not Required |
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Two recent payslips |
Required |
Only if non PTSB Salary Mandate |
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3 months bank account statements |
Required |
Only if non PTSB Salary Mandate |
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2 years financial accounts |
Self-Employed Only |
Self-Employed Only |
No. New to Bank customers who need to complete identification and address checks will need to do so in the branch. New to bank customers will be provided with an option to book an appointment for this purpose. Existing customers, if required to complete these checks, will be directed how to do so by call from a member of the PTSB online banking team.
All SBCI Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme applications will be independently assessed by credit underwriters to be approved or declined.
We will acknowledge receipt of your application immediately and aim to respond within 3 to 5 working days. If we need more information or time to assess an application we will advise applicants about our requirements within this period.
A member of the PTSB online banking team will contact you by phone to advise next steps and to ensure all necessary documentation has been provided.
If you applied online, you will be contacted by a member of PTSB online banking team during the loan application process. If successful, you will be sent all documentation by post including the Terms and Conditions and Standard European Consumer Credit Information (SECCI). You will be advised on the next steps to accept your Credit Agreement and draw down. Please note joint applicants must draw down the funds in branch.
If an application is approved then you will have 90 calendar days from the date of application to draw down the funds, otherwise the offer will lapse and you will need to apply again.
In addition to the specific terms outlined in the credit facility agreement, loans will be subject to the General Terms and Conditions for Personal Lending.
Before applying for finance with PTSB, you must engage with a SEAI registered One Stop Shop, Energy Partner, or Community Project Coordinator and have been assessed. You can visit our dedicated web page for more information on the Scheme. Loan applications will not be progressed through any channel without the one page Home Energy Summary Report.
In order to avoid disruption caused by potential delays, the loan should only be applied for after the Home Energy Assessment is completed. You will need to confirm this when submitting the e-form. Once completed, The Home Energy Assessment will be valid for 12 months.
Once approved, loan funds will be made available to the customer to drawdown immediately. Customers can agree an implementation timeline and payment schedule with their chosen provider*. If funds are not drawn down before the offer lapses then a new application must be submitted.
The eligible providers are:
The amount requested during the application is final and cannot be amended or increased. If due to cost inflation or otherwise the amount of funding required changes between application and drawdown the customer will need to self-fund the difference or submit a new loan application. Customers will not be able to avail of the SBCI HEUL loan twice for works that are subject to same SEAI grants.
This is an unsecured lending facility. If customers are interested in securing the loan against their property and have an existing mortgage with PTSB they may be able to progress a mortgage top up application.
The SBCI Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme benefit from a partial guarantee. This guarantee is between the SBCI and PTSB. In the event that a customer defaults on the loan, up to 80% of the value can be recovered by PTSB.
Borrowers remain fully liable for amounts borrowed. The guarantee provided by the SBCI to PTSB does not reduce a borrower’s obligations under the loan terms.
Application data may be shared with the SBCI, EIB, EIF, DECC and SEAI on completed loans and on a periodic basis thereafter. It may also be provided on an ad hoc basis under certain circumstances. The SBCI (as controller) and the NTMA (as processor) may process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and for the purposes set out in the SBCI Data Protection Statement. For further information, particularly in relation your data protection rights and how to contact the SBCI data protection officer (“DPO”), please refer to the SBCI Data Protection Statement, which is available here.
PTSB will check the information provided at the point of application. Applications and proposed works not meeting SBCI eligibility criteria will be identified as part of the application process and will not proceed. Furthermore, adherence to ‘Ongoing’ eligibility criteria will be monitored by the SBCI using SEAI data until completion of the proposed works.
As each borrower’s Home Energy Upgrade project commences the SBCI will receive information from SEAI on confirmed grant approval and ultimately on details of works completion. In the normal course of events it is expected that projects will be completed within the timeframe of 2 years and that post-works grants will be received within 36 months.
PTSB will engage with borrowers where there appears to be an issue impacting their ongoing eligibility for the Scheme i.e. lack of grant approval following a reasonable period of time. The intention is that borrowers would, assuming they are not already aware of an issue, engage with their SEAI project intermediary or otherwise attempt to ensure that the loan / project remains within the Scheme eligibility criteria.
In the event the borrower does not respond to communications and/or no evidence of compliance with the scheme criteria are available to SBCI, the loan will be excluded 36 months from the date of the loan agreement.
A loan being excluded from the HEULS scheme means that it will cease to benefit from the guarantee and interest rate subsidy benefits attaching to the scheme. The loan will be treated by PTSB as having defaulted on the basis of the criteria not being met and breach of the Terms and Conditions of the loan. In the event that a Facility becomes or is deemed ineligible at any stage PTSB retains the right to demand full and immediate repayment of any outstanding balance from excluded borrowers and may, at its sole discretion, amend or vary the interest rate applicable.
For example if funds are not used for the intended purpose and/or works are not followed through to completion PTSB may demand repayment of the loan in full. In certain circumstances PTSB may also (subject to assessment) seek to move any outstanding balance to an appropriate alternative rate i.e. the Home Improvement Loan.
