Home Battery Sizer
Is a solar battery worth it in Ireland, and what size? The honest verdict.
SEAI Solar Panel Grant Checker (Ireland, 2026)
Solar is the most-searched home-energy upgrade in Ireland, and the SEAI grant is the reason. This checker works out what grant your home qualifies for, what a system actually costs after it, and roughly how long it takes to pay back at today’s electricity and export rates.
Reviewed 23 jul 2026
The tool
Open the tool full-screen ↗Use it right here — nothing is saved, and there’s no sign-up.
This tool may link to relevant products and services to keep it free. Affiliate links are marked and are placeholders during this early phase — see our affiliate disclosure
What to know
The SEAI solar PV grant is worth up to €1,800 and is paid on a per-kilowatt basis, so a bigger array earns a bigger grant up to the cap. To qualify, your home must have been built and occupied before 2021 and you need a BER assessment carried out after the works. The grant is deducted from your installer’s quote — you pay the balance, not the full amount up front.
Payback depends less on the grant than on how much of your own generation you use. Electricity you consume as it’s generated is worth the full import rate you avoid; anything you export earns the lower Clean Export Guarantee rate. That is why day-time users, home workers and homes that add a battery or a hot-water diverter see the fastest returns — and why this tool is honest about the cases where payback stretches past ten years.
How this tool works
No sign-up, nothing saved — here is what it does with your answers.
- Enter your roof size or a target system size in kilowatts, your county and how you use electricity during the day.
- The tool applies the current per-kW SEAI grant to the cap, then estimates a realistic installed cost for that size.
- You get your grant, net cost, estimated annual saving and a payback range — plus honest flags when self-use is low.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the SEAI solar grant in 2026?
It is paid per kilowatt of panels installed, up to a maximum of €1,800. Smaller systems get a proportionally smaller grant; the cap is reached at around 4kWp.
Do I need a battery to qualify for the grant?
No. The grant is for the panels. A battery is optional and no longer separately grant-aided — whether it is worth adding depends on your usage, which our home battery sizer works out.
Is solar still worth it after the Clean Export Guarantee?
For most homes, yes — but the value comes from the electricity you use yourself, not from export. The more of your generation you consume, the faster the payback.
Related tools
Working through a project? These pair up.
Solar Diverter Payback Calculator
Since the export guarantee, is an Eddi still worth it? The honest sum.
SEAI Heat Pump Grant Checker
Up to €12,500 — check eligibility, heat-pump readiness and running cost.
SEAI Insulation Grant Checker
Attic, cavity and wall grants — what you get, real cost and payback.
These tools give honest indications using current published rates and guidance, not professional advice. Rules, prices and provider terms change — always confirm the current figures with the relevant official body, provider or qualified professional before you commit.