Answer three questions to check if your home qualifies for the SEAI solar PV grant, then get an honest estimate of cost, savings and payback — with Irish prices, Irish sunshine and the current export tariff.
The SEAI solar electricity grant has three hard rules. Answer honestly — SEAI verifies all of this at application.
1. Do you own the home? (Owner-occupiers and landlords both qualify)
2. Was the home built and occupied before 31 December 2020?
3. Has this home already received an SEAI solar PV grant?
Typical Irish homes install 3–6 kWp (roughly 7–14 panels). The grant is €700 per kWp for the first 2 kWp, then €200 per kWp up to 4 kWp — capped at €1,800.
| Self-consumed electricity (— of generation) | — |
| Exported to grid at CEG rate | — |
| Grant calculation | — |
Estimates use ~900 kWh generated per kWp per year in Ireland (adjusted for orientation), typical 2026 installer pricing, and simple payback with no price inflation. Your installer's quote and a site survey are the real numbers.
The grant only applies if you use an SEAI-registered company — and quotes for the same system routinely vary by €2,000+. Compare at least three.
Compare installer quotes →Free · no obligation · SEAI-registered installers only
Up to €1,800. It's calculated as €700 per kWp for the first 2 kWp, then €200 per kWp up to 4 kWp. A planned reduction to €1,500 was reversed, so the 2026 maximum stays at €1,800. Systems bigger than 4 kWp still get €1,800 — just nothing extra beyond it.
You must own the home, it must have been built and occupied before 31 December 2020, it must not have already received a solar PV grant, and the work must be done by an SEAI-registered installer. A post-works BER is required before the grant is paid.
No — SEAI withdrew the €600 battery grant in February 2022. Batteries can still make sense to lift self-consumption, but you pay full price, so run the numbers above with and without one.
Almost never. Since October 2022, rooftop solar on houses is exempt from planning permission with no area limit, apart from narrow exceptions (e.g. near airports/aerodromes, protected structures).
No — supply and installation of solar panels on private homes has been 0% VAT since May 2023. Our cost estimates already reflect that.
Yes. Under the Clean Export Guarantee, suppliers pay roughly €0.18–€0.21 per kWh you export (rates vary by supplier — check yours). The first €400 of export income per year is tax-exempt. Your installer submits the NC6 microgeneration form to ESB Networks for you.
You apply to SEAI online before work starts, get approval, have the system installed, get the post-works BER done, and SEAI pays the grant to your bank account. Many installers will quote you the net price and handle the paperwork.