Donegal · checked 29 October 2026
House wrap in Donegal
External wall insulation, the wrap. The grant is national. The walls in Donegal aren't. What SEAI's BER register and Census 2022 say about homes in Letterkenny, Buncrana and Ballybofey, and what it means for wrapping yours.
Figures checked against seai.ie on 29 October 2026.
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- €8,000 detached, €3,500 mid-terrace, €3,000 apartment
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On Donegal's BER certificates for homes built before 2011, 10% record solid or hollow block walls, which can't take a cavity fill, and 17% of walls with a recorded type have no insulation at all, against 18% and 21% across Ireland. 31% record a filled cavity, against 16% nationally, and those homes can still claim the wrap as a second wall measure.
The grant itself is the same in every county: €3,000 to €8,000 by home type (seai.ie, checked 29 October 2026). We pass your request to one SEAI-registered external insulation contractor who covers Donegal.
What stands out about Donegal homes
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 Donegal, from Letterkenny, Buncrana and Ballybofey to the rest of the county:
- 17% of Donegal's pre-2011 walls have no insulation, against 21% nationally, the 16th 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.
- 31% of Donegal's pre-2011 BERs record a filled cavity, against 16% nationally. A home that had a cavity grant can still apply for the wrap as its second wall measure.
- 90% of Donegal's solid walls have no insulation, against 67% nationally, the highest of the 26 counties. A solid wall can't take a cavity fill, so the wrap or dry lining are its only grant routes, and an uninsulated one has the most to gain.
- Detached houses are 70% of Donegal homes, against 41% nationally (Census 2022). They get the top grant, €8,000, and have the most wall to wrap.
Donegal and Ireland compared
| Donegal | Ireland | Rank of 26 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households, Census 2022 | 61,575 | 1,836,728 | |
| Built before 1919 | 7% | 8% | 20th |
| Built before 1981 | 33% | 41% | 22nd |
| Detached houses | 70% | 41% | 3rd |
| Terraced houses | 8% | 20% | 24th |
| BERs for homes built before 2011 | 25,554 | 751,700 | |
| Solid or hollow block walls | 10% | 18% | 24th |
| Walls with no insulation | 17% | 21% | 16th |
| Rated E, F or G | 25% | 25% | 14th |
| BERs for grant claims per 1,000 pre-2011 homes, 2026 | 49.8 | 42.1 | 6th |
| Heating degree days a year | 2,211 | 2,079 | 1st |
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 Letterkenny: 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: Leitrim 20%. All 26 counties side by side.
The walls on Donegal BERs
SEAI's register holds 25,554 BER certificates for Donegal homes built before 2011, leaving out the ones done for grant claims. Their main wall, and the grant route each one takes:
| Main wall | Donegal | Ireland | For the wrap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid stone, brick or concrete | 10% | 14% | The wrap's usual job, or dry lining |
| Hollow block | 0% | 4.2% | Can't be pumped: the wrap or dry lining |
| Empty cavity | 6.6% | 4.5% | Cavity fill first, then the wrap as a second measure |
| Cavity, part insulated | 42% | 28% | A survey decides |
| Filled cavity | 31% | 16% | The wrap as a second wall measure |
| Timber frame | 3% | 6% | Ask the contractor about the system |
| Other or not recorded | 7.4% | 27% |
Empty cavity: a cavity wall with a U-value of 1.0 or more. Source: SEAI's BER register, as above. Our count.
Solid and hollow block walls can't take a cavity fill, so the wrap or dry lining are their only grant routes. How many of them are still bare in Donegal:
| Walls with no insulation (U-value 1.0 or more) | Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Solid stone, brick or concrete | 90% | 67% |
| Hollow block | 45% | 35% |
| Every wall type | 17% | 21% |
Share of walls of each type with a recorded U-value: SEAI's BER register, as above. Our count.
7% of Donegal homes were built before 1919, against 8% nationally (CSO Census 2022). Traditional homes, typically pre-1940 solid masonry walls of brick or stone without a cavity, can't get wall insulation grants under Better Energy Homes. SEAI directs them to its Traditional Homes Pilot Scheme (SEAI homeowner application guide, checked October 2026). A cavity wall that's still empty should be filled first: the cavity grant is smaller, and the wrap stays open afterwards as the second wall measure. Our sister site covers cavity wall insulation in Donegal.
The wrap is priced by the square metre: €110–€160 per m² all-in, including scaffold and a standard render and VAT, from two Irish guides (Isotherm; ShamFix, 19 July 2026). So the size of the job is the wall. Of Donegal houses built before 2011, the commonest type is the detached house (Census 2022). On BERs the median detached house has 121 m² of outside wall, against 128 m² nationally, so the fixed grant covers more of the job.
| Home type | Outside wall, Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 121 m² | 128 m² |
| Semi-D | 90 m² | 91 m² |
| End of terrace | 85 m² | 85 m² |
| Mid-terrace | 53 m² | 48 m² |
| Apartment | 51 m² | 43 m² |
Median wall area recorded on BER certificates for Donegal homes built before 2011: SEAI's BER register, as above. Our medians.
Home types and planning in Donegal
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 27% of Donegal homes, against 45% nationally.
| Home type | Donegal | Ireland | SEAI wrap grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 70% | 41% | €8,000 |
| Semi-detached house | 19% | 25% | €6,000 |
| Terraced house | 8% | 20% | €3,500 mid, €6,000 end |
| Flat or apartment | 4% | 13% | €3,000 |
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.
Heating, weather and grant claims in Donegal
The grant doesn't depend on the fuel, but the fuel prices the heat a bare wall loses. 67% of Donegal 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.
| Main central heating | Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Oil | 67% | 39% |
| Natural gas | 1% | 33% |
| Electricity | 5% | 12% |
| Coal, peat or wood | 20% | 9% |
Share of all households, including those that didn't state a fuel: CSO Census 2022, table SAP2022T6T5CTY.
Letterkenny has about 2,211 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 wall loses rises in step with that number. 25% of Donegal's pre-2011 BERs are rated E, F or G, against 25% nationally (SEAI's BER register).
Every SEAI home grant needs a BER after the work, so the BERs done for grant claims track finished grant jobs of every kind, walls included. In Donegal there were 1,743 in 2024, 2,163 in 2025 and 2,817 in 2026 up to 29 October: 49.8 per 1,000 homes built before 2011, against 42.1 nationally (SEAI's BER register).
The house wrap grant by home type
The grant is the same in Donegal as in every other county: a fixed amount by home type, whatever the contractor charges. There is no higher welfare rate for the wrap.
| Home type | External wall insulation grant |
|---|---|
| Detached house | €8,000 |
| Semi-D or end of terrace | €6,000 |
| Mid-terrace | €3,500 |
| Apartment | €3,000 |
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 Donegal median, and we don't invent one:
| Home type | SEAI median installed cost | SEAI grant | Typical cost after grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | €26,500 | €8,000 | €18,500 |
| Semi-D or end of terrace | €23,219 | €6,000 | €17,219 |
| Mid-terrace | €14,000 | €3,500 | €10,500 |
| Apartment | €11,300* | €3,000 | not shown* |
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.
FAQ
Donegal questions
Is the house wrap grant different in Donegal?
No. SEAI pays the same fixed amounts in every county: €3,000 to €8,000 by home type. What differs is the walls: 17% of Donegal's pre-2011 walls have no insulation, against 21% nationally.
How many Donegal homes have walls with no insulation?
17% of walls with a recorded type and U-value on BER certificates for Donegal homes built before 2011, the 16th highest share of the 26 counties. Of the solid walls, 90% have none; of the hollow block walls, 45%.
How many Donegal homes have solid or hollow block walls?
10% of Donegal's pre-2011 BERs record solid or hollow block walls, against 18% nationally. Neither can take a cavity fill, so the wrap or dry lining are the grant routes.
Do I need planning permission for the wrap in Donegal?
Usually not, since 27 July 2026. The Class 63 exemption is national: up to 150 mm on the front, rear or gable, off the public road and in keeping with the neighbours. Semi-detached and terraced houses, 27% of Donegal homes, are where matching the neighbours matters most. If unsure, ask your council for a Section 5 declaration.
Who will ring me in Donegal?
One SEAI-registered external insulation contractor who covers Donegal. They look at the house, the walls, the sills and how the electricity cable reaches it, and give you a written price with VAT. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
Your grant
Your house wrap grant in 3 taps
Tap your home type, when it was built and any earlier wall grant. Your SEAI grant shows as you go. Then leave your number and one SEAI-registered external insulation contractor who covers your area rings you with a price.
Where these numbers come from (10 public sources, checked 29 October 2026)
- SEAI wall insulation grant page
- CSO Census 2022, households by type and year built
- SEAI BER Research Tool (public BER file)
- Met Éireann 1991–2020 averages
- SEAI homeowner application guide
- S.I. No. 341 of 2026 (Class 63)
- CSO Census 2022, central heating by county
- SEAI
- SEAI median costs of individual upgrades, Jan–Jun 2026
- SEAI quality alert: external wall insulation, May 2024
Sources (2)
Prices and facts on this page were checked against these published pages. We are not connected to these businesses.
- Isotherm: isotherm.ie
- ShamFix: shamfix.ie