Climate Action: What you can do

The State provides supports in a range of areas to help you play your part in tackling climate change.

Details and links are provided below to help you learn more about these supports and how to access them.

Sign up to the SEAI 21-day energy challenge to see how you can reduce your home heating and energy costs, without decreasing your home comfort.

There are a number of grants available to help you upgrade your home, making it warmer and more energy efficient. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is responsible for these grants. Apply now and benefit from lower energy bills.

• Home Energy Upgrade Grants (SEAI):

- Insulation Grants: Up to €6,000 available

- Heat Pump System Grants: Up to €3,500 available

- Heating Controls Grants: Up to €700 available

• Home Energy Upgrade Information (SEAI) : Learn more about the benefits of upgrading the energy efficiency of your home.
• Energy Saving Tips (SEAI) : General tips and tricks for saving energy around your home.

There are a number of grants and supports available for the installation of solar panels and renewable energy alternatives through the SEAI.

• Solar Energy Information and Grants (SEAI) : Information on the generation of electricity through light and support on choosing and installing solar panels in your home, business or community:

- Solar Water Heating Grants: Up to €1,200 available

- Solar Electricity Grants: Up to €3,000 available (€2,400 towards Solar PV + €600 towards a storage battery)

- Community Energy Grants: grants towards renewable energy installations for small business owners.

• Further information on renewable energy alternatives (SEAI): Supporting the development of clean energy technologies in Ireland, including wind, solar, ocean and bioenergy.

Reducing our transport emissions will have a big impact on our climate. Making fewer car journeys and walking, cycling and using public transport more, will really help.

This section provides details of State supports to help you reduce your transport emissions.

Electric Vehicles

Private car use is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector and is responsible for more than half of Ireland's Transport emissions.

One of the most impactful changes car users can make to reduce emissions, is to change from a petrol or diesel vehicle to electric.

There are a number of supports in place to you with your EV purchase including:

• Up to €5,000 relief on qualifying private vehicles (SEAI)
• Up to €3,800 for commercial vehicles (SEAI)
• Up to €10,000 for electric small public service vehicles (taxis) (National Transport Authority)
• Up to €600 off the cost of installing an EV charger at home (SEAI)
• Discounted rates on motor tax and tolls (D/ Transport)

Public Transport

Incentives are available to support the use of public transport instead of private cars:

• Travel Pass Scheme : Employers can provide monthly or annual taxsaver travel passes for public transport services.
• Park & Ride: Many local councils have already established park and ride facilities allowing you to take some of the driving out of your commute.

Cycling

Incentives are also available to encourage the use of lower emission transport modes, such as cycling.

• Cycle to Work Scheme: A tax incentive for bike and related equipment purchase, to encourage cycling to and from work.
• Dublin City Bikes Scheme: A sustainable and efficient public transport choice with networks continually being expanded.
• Regional Bikes Scheme: A public bike system in Cork, Limerick and Galway provided by the National Transport Authority.

The State provides a number of supports to help you recycle and dispose of your waste correctly:

• Free collection, recycling and disposal of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Batteries (WEEE).
• Free End of Life Vehicle (ELV) disposal: Authorised Treatment Facilities ensure safe and correct disposal of unusable vehicles.
• For more information on what you can do at home to reduce your waste go to MyWaste.ie.

The State offers a number of supports to landowners to plant new forest or support existing forests. Teagasc provides the following grants:

• Forestry Establishment Grants: Financial support to establish a new broadleaf or conifer forest.
• Forestry Management Grants: Financial support to better manage your existing forest.

The SEAI has produced an SME Guide to Energy Efficiency . It gives advice and ideas to help any business become more energy efficient. It has lots of simple, straightforward actions you can take that won’t cost you anything. It also has information on bigger actions as well as grants, schemes and tax incentives that you may be eligible to avail of.

The following supports are available through the SEAI:

• Grants toward the purchase of N1 category electric vehicles for business.
• The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat which is a government funded initiative designed to increase the energy generated from renewable sources in the heat sector. The scheme is open to commercial, industrial, agricultural, district heating, public sector and other non-domestic heat users.
• The EXEED Grant Scheme which is designed for organisations who are planning an energy investment project. It provides grant support of up to €500,000 per year.
• Project Assistance Grants which offer grants to businesses and public sector bodies spending over €250,000 a year on energy bills, who are seeking to develop energy saving projects.
• Workshops, online courses and resources on energy efficiency designed for SMEs.

Please click here to return to the main climate action page.