How Much Does MVHR Cost in Ireland? (2026 Price Guide)

If you’re building, renovating, or retrofitting a home in Ireland, you’ve probably asked the same question every homeowner asks at some point: how much does MVHR actually cost?

The honest answer is “it depends” – but that’s not very helpful when you’re trying to budget. So here’s a realistic breakdown of what Irish homeowners are paying for Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) in 2026, what drives the price up or down, and how to get the best value for your home.

Quick Answer: MVHR Cost by Property Type

These figures cover full supply, design, installation and commissioning – not just the unit itself. As a rule of thumb, the bigger and more complex the floor area, the more ducting, valves, and labour are needed, and the higher the final bill climbs.

What’s Actually Included in That Price?

A complete MVHR system isn’t just one box on a wall. A proper installation includes:

• The MVHR unit itself – the heat exchanger, fans, and filters
• Ductwork – rigid or semi-rigid ducting running to every habitable room and wet room
• Valves and grilles – supply and extract points throughout the house
• Design and survey work – sizing the system correctly for your floor plan
• Installation labour – typically 2-5 days depending on house size
• Commissioning and airflow balancing – making sure the system actually performs as designed

Skimping on any of these stages is usually what leads to a noisy, inefficient, or underperforming system later on.

How MVHR works: stale, moist air from kitchens and bathrooms passes through the heat exchanger core, where its heat warms incoming fresh outdoor air before it’s supplied to living rooms and bedrooms.

Why Costs Vary So Much

1. Floor Area and Number of Rooms

This is the single biggest factor. A 2-bed apartment might only need ducting to 4-5 rooms, while a 5-bedroom detached house could need 15+ supply and extract points. More rooms means more ducting, more valves, and more installation time.

2. New Build vs. Retrofit

If MVHR is designed in from the start of a new build, ducting can be routed cleanly through joists and stud walls before plasterboard goes up – keeping costs down. Retrofitting into an existing, occupied home is almost always more expensive, since installers have to work around finished ceilings, tight attic spaces, and existing wiring or plumbing. Budget for a premium of roughly 20-40% over an equivalent new-build install.

3. House Layout and Complexity

Bungalows and apartments with simple, open duct runs are cheaper to fit than multi-storey homes with complicated rooflines, dormer extensions, or split-level layouts.

4. Unit Quality and Specification

Entry-level counterflow units start lower, while high-efficiency models with heat recovery rates of 90%+, smart controls, summer bypass, and advanced filtration (handy if anyone in the house has allergies) sit at the upper end.

5. Competent Person Installation (Part F Requirement)

Under Building Regulations Part F, MVHR systems must be installed by a competent person – someone with the training and experience to correctly design, size, and commission the system. This isn’t an optional extra you can skip to save money: a poorly designed or badly balanced system fails to deliver adequate ventilation, which is exactly what Part F is meant to prevent. Factor a qualified installer into your budget from the outset rather than treating it as a place to cut costs.

Apartment vs. House: A Closer Look

2-bed apartments sit at the lower end of the cost scale mostly because there’s less floor area to cover and shorter duct runs. The trade-off is that retrofitting into an apartment with solid floors/ceilings and no attic space can sometimes push costs back up, since there’s nowhere obvious to route ducting.

3-bed semi-detached houses are the most common job Irish MVHR installers quote on. Costs here are driven by attic access (usually good), number of bedrooms, and whether the kitchen/utility area needs extra extract capacity.

Large detached homes – what most people informally call the “mansion” end of the market – can comfortably hit €20,000+ once you’re dealing with 300m²+ of floor area, multiple zones, and sometimes two MVHR units rather than one.

Are There SEAI Grants for MVHR in Ireland?

Yes, but with some important caveats. SEAI’s mechanical ventilation grant currently offers up to €1,500 toward a Part F-compliant heat recovery ventilation system – but eligibility is fairly narrow:

• Your home must have been built and occupied before 2011
• It needs a current BER of B3 or lower
• The work must bring the home up to a B2 BER (in most cases) and be carried out by an SEAI-registered contractor
• You cannot start work before getting written grant approval

New builds generally won’t qualify, since they’re already required to meet modern Part F ventilation standards. If you’re doing a wider deep retrofit (insulation, heat pump, airtightness work, and ventilation together), it’s worth applying through an SEAI One Stop Shop, where the ventilation grant is bundled in alongside potentially much larger heat pump and insulation grants.

Always check current grant amounts directly on seai.ie before budgeting, since figures and eligibility rules are updated periodically.

Is MVHR Worth the Cost?

For most A-rated and airtight new builds, MVHR isn’t really optional – without it, an airtight house has nowhere for stale air and moisture to go, which leads to condensation and mould. For retrofits, it’s more of a judgment call.

On the savings side, MVHR systems typically recover up to 90% of the heat that would otherwise be lost through extracted air, and homeowners commonly see 20-30% reductions in heating bills as a result. Over a 10-15 year system lifespan, that can meaningfully offset the upfront cost – particularly in a well-insulated home where heating demand (and therefore savings potential) is higher to begin with.

Getting an Accurate Quote

Because cost depends so heavily on your specific floor plan, the only way to get a reliable number is a proper survey or design consultation rather than a rough online estimate. When comparing quotes, make sure each one includes:

• Full ductwork and valves, not just the unit
• Design and airflow balancing/commissioning
• VAT (Irish installs typically attract 13.5% VAT)
• Aftercare – filter replacement schedule and warranty terms

A cheap quote that excludes commissioning or proper ducting design often costs more in the long run, once you factor in poor performance, noise complaints, or a system that needs re-balancing.

FAQ

Costs in this guide are general 2026 estimates for the Irish market and will vary by installer, region, and property. Get a tailored quote based on your floor plan before budgeting for your project.