Thanks Paul. Yes I'd like to lock it in for a few years, and Haven or Avant look good options, don't know if i'm brave enough for the EBS one.Your break fee should be zero, but confirm it with Bank of Ireland.
You could switch to Haven's 2.0% green rate, fixed for 4 years. You will get €2,000 cashback. You will be better off by about €7,300 in four years' time (versus staying on a 2.9% rate with BOI), and that's after accounting for fees and cashback.
Or if you're feeling brave, you could try the strategy outlined in this thread: switch to EBS's 2.9% 1-year fixed rate and get the €4,200 cashback. Then immediately switch to their 2.1% green rate, fixed for four years. You would save an extra €1,500 over the next four years (versus going the Haven route). But nobody knows for sure if EBS will let you make the second switch. If they don't, you'll be stuck on a high (2.9%) rate.
If you're prepared to settle for smaller savings in exchange for a longer fixed rate, switching to Avant't 1.95% rate lets you fix for up to 7 years. You will be better off by about €5,700 in four years' time (versus staying on a 2.9% rate with BOI), and that's after accounting for fees.
The reason I haven't switched to date, or thought about switching till now, is that getting the mortgage in the first place was a headache, even though we comfortably met the criteria. It may be because it was a self-build. dealing with the legal side also would drain you. So I've been hesitant.
Avant don't do self-build mortgages, do you know if switching of mortgage a self-build is an option for them? I can call them of course if you don't know off hand.
And a final question - the process seems to have streamlined in recent years, are all banks much the same in terms of the ease of switching? This would be a big factor for me, especially between Havan and Avant.
Great site, I'm mostly reading the advice shared to others in multiple sections but the off time I post the support is super, fair play.