HERO-OSS contractors are being equipped to direct homeowners towards trusted, community-based retrofit financing through their local Credit Unions.
Communication guidelines for contractors were finalised at the end of 2025, ensuring clear and unbiased information for homeowners exploring their options.
REIL is now actively building on its existing Credit Union relationships, including through the ProEnergy Homes platform, with formal agreements being developed to support the homeowner retrofit journey through to project end.
Why local matters
Cost is the single biggest reason Irish homeowners walk away from a deep retrofit, with 49% citing it as the primary barrier.
For most households, the right blend of grant and loan is the difference between proceeding and staying on the sidelines.
HERO-OSS is determined to remove that barrier by ensuring contractors can confidently signpost homeowners to financing they already trust, close to home.
Why Credit Unions
Credit Unions are the most trusted financial institutions in Ireland and the preferred partner for residential retrofits.
Their local presence, member-owned model, and long-standing community relationships make them the natural home for retrofit lending, exactly the kind of partner homeowners want when committing to a once-in-a-generation upgrade.
Building on ProEnergy Homes and the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme
HERO-OSS is leveraging REIL’s well-established Credit Union network, built up over years through the ProEnergy Homes scheme.
Since the Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme (HEULS) launched in April 2024, some Credit Unions have joined the government-backed scheme to offer low-cost retrofit finance to their members.
Both ProEnergy Homes and HEULS are designed around the same core principle — combining SEAI grant funding with low-cost Credit Union finance to make deep retrofit affordable, so the trusted infrastructure of Credit Union partnerships, contractor referrals, and homeowner journey continues to work seamlessly under HERO-OSS.
What’s in it for homeowners
For a homeowner, the result is a single connected journey from initial enquiry through to a warmer, more efficient home.
A trusted local HERO-OSS contractor delivers the works, REIL provides infrastructure, and the Credit Union provides the financing, three trusted parties working together to make B2-level retrofit genuinely accessible at a cost households can plan around.