Apartment Charging Grant
Support for shared electric-vehicle charging networks in apartment and other multi-unit developments, with grants covering up to 90% of approved costs depending on the applicant.
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The Apartment Charging Grant helps create or extend a residential charging network in common parking areas. The applicant organisation pays the eligible supplier and contractor bills, then claims reimbursement from SEAI with payment evidence. The grant covers the approved share of those costs once the conditions are met; the organisation funds the balance and arranges ongoing operation. Residents may pay agreed charges to join and use the network.
Support can cover the electricity connection, trenching, cabling and ducts, electrical equipment, charging units, installation labour, design and project management. A Charge Point Operator (CPO) helps design and coordinate the installation and provides billing, maintenance and customer support afterwards.
The maximum grant rate applies to SEAI’s assessed eligible costs, which can be lower than the quotation:
- Local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies: 90%.
- Owners’ Management Companies: 80%.
- Management companies of build-to-rent developments: 60%.
The overall award is limited to the lower of €5,000 per dwelling or €100,000 per development, including earlier awards to that development. Within this overall support, charging equipment is capped at its actual cost or €600 per charging outlet, whichever is lower; a dual-outlet charger can therefore receive up to €1,200 for the unit. These equipment caps do not increase the development’s overall grant limit.
Eligible civil works, cabling and charging outlets can serve or prepare no more than 50% of the development’s parking spaces. A space is “EV ready” when ducts or cable containment pass it so a charger can later be connected by adding the required cables and junction boxes. SEAI assesses civil works against a maximum eligible cost of €3,000 plus €248 per metre of trenching, before VAT. Connection costs are limited by ESB Networks’ applicable charges; project management, engineering design and survey costs are capped at 7% of total eligible project costs.
VAT is included only if the applicant cannot recover it and provides a Revenue letter confirming this. Electricity bills, standing charges, levies, insurance, routine operation and maintenance are not funded. The scheme also excludes unnecessary works, work serving more than half the spaces, repeat funding of the same measure, correcting earlier defective work and bringing a facility up to legally required standards.
A resident joining an existing network normally uses the separate Home Charger Grant after getting the management company’s permission and agreeing compatible equipment with the operator. That individual route has its own grant terms.
Eligibility
The development must have at least two dwellings sharing facilities, amenities and services, with shared or private parking outside the individual properties’ boundaries. It can contain apartments, houses, duplexes or a mixture. This route is for developments without dedicated private off-street parking within each individual property.
Eligible applicants include Owners’ Management Companies, local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and management companies of build-to-rent developments, including commercial companies that fully own a residential development. An Owners’ Management Company manages the development’s shared property on behalf of its owners. The applicant must have all permissions and legal rights needed to install the network. Applicants outside the listed categories can submit a request to EVChargers@seai.ie for consideration if their development meets the scheme’s shared-property criteria.
Private and commercial landlords owning at least ten units in a development can pursue a bulk installation for their tenants through the management company. The company checks network capacity and can apply for the chargers and infrastructure; the landlord can agree how to cover costs outside the grant. If the management company will not apply on the landlord’s behalf, or fewer than ten chargers are planned, the landlord must use the Home Charger Grant for each charger instead.
The scheme guide excludes new-build or major-renovation developments with ten or more parking spaces where the commencement notification was issued from 10 March 2021. For renovation work, the relevant charging-infrastructure rules concern work that includes the car park or relevant electrical infrastructure. A major renovation affects more than a quarter of the building’s combined heat-loss surface area: walls, windows, floors and roof.
Use an SEAI-registered CPO and a qualified electrician registered with Safe Electric Ireland. The applicant must check the CPO’s insurance and tax status. Chargers must meet the scheme’s technical standards; public bodies must choose equipment on the Triple E and Smart Charger registers. Every electricity connection serving the network must have dynamic load management, which adjusts charging power so the site’s permitted electricity capacity is not exceeded.
Parking spaces served or prepared by the network must be clearly marked, including shared charging bays. Installed charge points must be accessible and operational for resident users 24 hours a day, with assistance contact details. Residents must receive clear joining instructions and transparent fees.
A development can receive support in stages, but applications must be sequential and all awards count towards its cumulative cap and 50% parking limit. The earlier application must be completed, inspected where required, paid and confirmed complete by SEAI before a new one proceeds.
How to apply
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- Apply with a registered Charge Point Operator; do not start work before approval.
- Accept the Letter of Offer within14days and complete, pay and claim within its stated period.
- Funding is first come, first served subject to available budget.
Start with SEAI’s list of registered Charge Point Operators. SEAI recommends seeking three independent quotes where possible. During assessment, it may request additional quotes or ask why only one was provided; proposals with unjustified or excessive costs can be rejected. Choose a CPO and complete the online apartment charging application together. Include dwelling and parking-space numbers, existing and proposed chargers, cable and trench lengths, a layout drawing and the expected annual charge to a resident. Explain any departure from the most economical installation design.
Do not start work before SEAI approves the application. Return the signed grant agreement within 14 days of the Letter of Offer’s issue date for the offer to become valid. Incur and pay all eligible costs during the offer period, and complete the works and submit a valid payment claim before its expiry. If the completion date is at risk, notify SEAI immediately; a one-off extension is possible only at SEAI’s discretion.
The applicant and CPO must agree a contract covering operating charges, its duration, penalties, maintenance, warranties, customer support and emergency repairs. Give SEAI the payment arrangements and estimated resident costs at application stage, then the signed contract at payment stage. The charges must remain reasonable and consistent with the application. The CPO must not charge residents again for the funded capital investment, apart from provision for repairs and maintenance. The contract must allow SEAI to collect charging-use data for programme analysis.
Keep invoices addressed to the grant beneficiary and bank-statement proof of payment. Photograph trenches and ducts before backfilling, and retain final layout drawings, charger labels and marked-bay photographs. Submit the payment request with this evidence, current tax-clearance details, any Revenue VAT letter and the relevant Safe Electric Certificate 1 or 3 for each installation. Tell SEAI about scope changes promptly and obtain its written approval before requesting payment. Approved payments go to the nominated Irish bank account.
SEAI may agree interim payments for suitable projects in the Letter of Offer. Its usual criteria include an award above €30,000 excluding VAT, at least a month between milestones and a payment exceeding 25% of the award, with no more than two interim payments plus the final payment. Milestone claims of at least half the award require audit or inspection.
Allow inspection access within seven days of contact. If an inspection requires remedial work, submit the re-work declaration and completion evidence within 14 days of the report. Final payment requires all inspections and outstanding remedial work to be completed. A written inspection appeal, supported by evidence, must be made within 14 days of notification.
If the project is cancelled, stop capital work and notify SEAI immediately with a report and cost evidence. Only qualifying professional fees may receive support at the approved rate, subject to the 7% eligible-project-cost limit and €3,000 cap; capital costs are excluded. Payments depend on the annual budget and can be deferred. Breach of the conditions can lead to grant recovery, repayable within one month of SEAI’s demand.