Shay Lally Quantity surveyor

IN OUR BRAND-NEW series, The Big Reno Clinic, experienced quantity surveyor Shay Lally provides answers and solutions to the big (and little, but important) questions you may have about making the most of your home.  

This week’s question

What’s the point of using an SEAI-registered installer for my external insulation in order to get a grant, if the extra cost of that installer is as much as the grant I’m trying to get?

Shay says

Short answer: If the premium really cancels out the grant, then the grant isn’t saving you money. The decision comes down to what else you get, or give up, by going the registered route.

This is one I get asked a lot on Instagram. SEAI grants and the register of approved installers are an important part of the drive to retrofit homes in Ireland. Grants grab attention and motivate people to retrofit their homes, but they’re only one factor in the decision. The real question is which option gives you the best value for money, and the best value isn’t always the cheapest.

What you get with a registered installer:

• They’ve been through a rigorous application process to become registered

• They need a proven track record to qualify

• They’ve typically invested time and money to get registered

• They must meet the SEAI’s quality standards, because grants aren’t paid out on substandard work

• You’re eligible for the grant if you use them.

For many homeowners, that adds up to reassurance. It’s a semi-state body’s stamp of approval on the contractor and the work.

What it doesn’t mean: There are excellent contractors who aren’t registered and who’ll do work of equal quality. Some charge more than registered installers and some charge less. And there are contractors who undercut everyone, but the quality of their work and or their professionalism is of a lower standard.

The trap: Comparing headline prices instead of like-for-like. Before you decide, put the quotes side by side on the same basis:

• Is the scope identical? What’s included and excluded in each?

• What’s the price after the grant for the registered installer, compared with the full price from the non-registered one?

• What are you responsible for under each agreement?

If the sums come out level, the grant isn’t the deciding factor any more. Then it’s about who you trust to do the job and who you’d rather hold to account if something goes wrong.

If you go with a non-registered contractor, do your homework. Make sure they:

• Have a proven track record, ideally one you can see for yourself

• Come recommended by someone you trust

• Give you a detailed quotation setting out what’s included and what you’re responsible for.

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Your roadmap:

• Get quotes from registered and non-registered installers, all for the same scope or works

• Work out the real cost of each: the registered installer’s price minus the grant, against the non-registered contractor’s price

• Check what’s included and what you’re responsible for in each quote

• If you’re considering a non-registered contractor, ask for referrals and see recent work

• Choose the contractor who delivers the best value, not just the lowest number.

As my old business studies teacher used to say, caveat emptor: let the buyer beware.

Whether or not your contractor is SEAI-registered, the responsibility is on you to check they are who they say they are.

Key takeaways:

• A grant doesn’t make a quote good value. Always compare the net cost

• Registered installers bring reassurance: vetted, proven and held to SEAI standards

• Non-registered contractors can be excellent, but you take on the job of doing additional research on them

• Compare like for like: same scope, same inclusions and exclusions

• Remember the best value and the cheapest aren’t always the same thing.

Shay will be back next Sunday to begin answering our readers’ questions and help them move or improve. Follow more of his work on his popular Houses to Restore Instagram account.