House wrap in Cork

SEAI pays the same grant in every county. The walls aren't the same. Against the national figures, these are the things that stand out in Cork, from Cork city, Carrigaline and Cobh to the rest of the county:

• 25% of Cork's pre-2011 walls have no insulation, against 21% nationally, the 2nd highest of the 26 counties. That's a main wall with a U-value of 1.0 or worse on the BER, the wall the wrap does most for.
• Cork is milder than average. Near Cork city, Met Éireann's averages give about 1,755 heating degree days a year, against 2,079 for Ireland. The same wall loses about 16% less heat here, so the wrap saves a little less.
• 63% of Cork's hollow block walls have no insulation, against 35% nationally, the 3rd highest of the 26 counties. Hollow block can't be pumped, so the wrap or dry lining are its grant routes.
• 11% of Cork homes were built before 1919, against 8% nationally (Census 2022). Traditional solid-wall homes, typically pre-1940 brick or stone, can't get wall insulation grants under Better Energy Homes. SEAI points them to its Traditional Homes pilot.

Cork and Ireland compared

Households, year built and home type: 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 Cork city: our sum from Met Éireann's 1991–2020 grid. Ranks are ours, 1st being the highest.

Next door, the share of pre-2011 walls with no insulation: Kerry 17%, Limerick 18%, Tipperary 24%, Waterford 16%. All 26 counties side by side.

The grant follows the home type. Since 27 July 2026 the wrap is exempted development on a house if it's no more than 150 mm thick on the front, rear or gable, doesn't encroach on a public road, and doesn't make the house look out of character with its neighbours (S.I. No. 341 of 2026). That last test matters most where houses share a wall and a street line: semi-detached and terraced houses are 46% of Cork homes, against 45% nationally.

Share of households: CSO Census 2022, table F2007A. Grants: seai.ie wall insulation page, checked 29 October 2026.

A house that opens straight onto the footpath, a protected structure or a home in an Architectural Conservation Area should check with the council first, and a Section 5 declaration gives a formal answer. Planning permission for the wrap has the detail, and finishes covers keeping the look in character.

The grant is the same in Cork as in every other county: a fixed amount by home type, whatever the contractor charges. There is no higher welfare rate for the wrap.

seai.ie wall insulation page, checked 29 October 2026.

What's left after the grant, on SEAI's national median costs for January to June 2026. SEAI publishes no Cork median, and we don't invent one:

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. *SEAI's apartment median comes from five completed homes, so no cost after the grant is shown. Grants: seai.ie wall insulation page, checked 29 October 2026.

• A home built and occupied before 31 December 2010, with an MPRN
• Every external wall fully insulated: partial insulation isn't eligible
• A U-value of 0.27 W/m²K or better on the wrapped wall (SEAI quality alert)
• An SEAI-registered contractor, and SEAI's grant offer before work starts

The rules in full: house wrap grant, cost, external, internal or cavity and the second wall grant. Over 66 or on Fuel Allowance? See the grant for pensioners.