Electricity prices go up on 1 July, and the instinct is to look at switching supplier. That helps a little, but the biggest savings come from a different place entirely: stopping the heat you have already paid for from leaking out of the house. A fresh round of SEAI grants has just made that cheaper than ever.
New insulation grants: the best value upgrade
If you only do one thing about your bills this year, insulate. Per euro spent it saves more than any other upgrade, because it cuts the heat you lose before you spend a cent on how you make that heat. A new set of SEAI supports landed on 2 March 2026:
- Attic insulation: a higher grant of up to €2,500 for first-time buyers of an existing home.
- A new second wall measure: if you have already grant-funded cavity or internal wall insulation, you can now apply for a grant towards a second wall measure on the same home.
- Warmer Homes: homeowners on qualifying welfare payments can get higher fixed-amount attic and cavity grants, aligned with the free Warmer Homes Scheme.
- Grants are paid after the work is done by an SEAI-registered contractor, so use a registered installer and get approval before the job starts.
The electricity price rise is here: last call
Electric Ireland, the biggest supplier with about 1.1 million homes, raises electricity prices by 8% and gas by 7.7% from 1 July. We covered the full detail last week, so here is the one thing still worth doing today:
- Submit a meter reading on or just before 1 July. It keeps everything you have used up to that date at the old rate. Smart meter owners are read automatically; everyone else should send one in.
- The rise works out at about €138 a year on the average electricity bill, so the two minutes are worth it.
Stop paying to heat water you do not use
"Is the immersion on?" is one of the most expensive questions in an Irish home. Heating a hot-water tank is one of the biggest electrical loads in the house, and in summer most of that heat is wasted:
- An immersion left on can quietly cost a few euro a day, and in summer you rarely need it running for hours.
- Put it on a timer or a Wi-Fi time switch so it heats the tank in the cheaper night-rate window, or just for an hour before you need hot water.
- If you have solar, a timer lets you line the immersion up with the middle of the day, heating your water on electricity you have already generated for free.
Free delivery from the first euro on everything in store.
About Shamrock Electrical Supplies
Shamrock Electrical Supplies is an electrical retailer and wholesaler based in Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. We supply homeowners and professional contractors across Ireland, with free delivery from the first euro.
Find Us
Shamrock Electrical Supplies
Unit 22, Block 613, Jordanstown Road
Greenogue Business Park
Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, D24 TX98
Opening Hours
Monday to Thursday: 7am to 5:30pm
Friday: 7am to 5pm
Saturday: 9am to 1:30pm
Sunday: Closed