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Yes, but only if the building fabric is suitable — meaning good insulation, decent air-tightness, and ideally a B2 or better BER. A pre-2000 home almost always needs insulation upgrades first (attic, walls, windows). Most installers won't quote without a Technical Assessment. Treating the home fabric first is also where the SEAI Better Energy Home grant pairs nicely with the heat pump grant.

Often yes, partially. Heat pumps work most efficiently at lower flow temperatures (35–45°C vs 65–75°C for gas). Existing radiators sized for hot gas systems may be too small. Your installer will calculate room-by-room heat losses and identify which radiators need swapping for larger or double-panel units. In a typical 3-bed, 3–6 radiators are usually replaced; the rest stay.

The SEAI heat pump grant gives up to €6,500 for an air-source heat pump and up to €6,500 for ground-source as well. Combined with the Technical Assessment grant (€200) and potential insulation grants under the One-Stop-Shop scheme, total SEAI funding can exceed €15,000 on a deep retrofit. Grants are paid to the installer at completion, so you only pay the post-grant figure.

Your electricity bill goes up because the heat pump runs on electricity, but your gas/oil bill goes to zero. Net heating costs typically drop 30–50% versus oil and 10–25% versus modern condensing gas. The savings are bigger if you pair with solar PV and a smart-tariff EV-style night plan. Run the numbers with your installer using your last 12 months of energy bills.

From signed contract to commissioning is typically 6–12 weeks: 1–2 weeks for SEAI Technical Assessment, 4–6 weeks for parts ordering and scheduling, then 3–7 days on site for the actual work. Disruption during install is moderate — your old system stays running until late in the install. Hot water can be off for 24–48 hours during the cylinder swap.