What a system costs
Most Irish homes install somewhere between 8 and 16 panels, roughly 3kWp to 6kWp. Installed prices generally fall between €6,000 and €12,000 before any grant, with batteries adding to that.
| System | Typical installed cost |
|---|---|
| Small array, roughly 3kWp | €6,000–€8,000 |
| Typical family home, 4–6kWp | €8,000–€12,000 |
| Battery storage added | €2,000–€5,000 more |
| Diverter for the immersion | €300–€600 |
Quotes vary enormously for the same roof, so get three and compare panel count, inverter make and warranty length rather than the headline figure.
Grants and VAT
The SEAI grant
SEAI offers a grant towards domestic solar PV. The amount has stepped down year on year, so check the current figure on seai.ie before budgeting rather than relying on an older article. The work must be done by an SEAI-registered company and the property must meet the scheme's eligibility rules.
Zero VAT
Ireland applies a 0% VAT rate to the supply and installation of solar panels on private dwellings. That is separate from the grant and should already be reflected in a domestic quote. If a quote shows VAT on the panels for a private home, ask why.
Getting paid for what you export
Electricity you generate and do not use can be exported to the grid, and suppliers pay for it under the Clean Export Guarantee. Rates differ between suppliers, so it is worth checking what yours pays before assuming a payback figure from a sales brochure.
The electrical side, which nobody quotes clearly
Panels are the visible part. Behind them sits work that decides whether the installation is safe and certifiable.
- A dedicated circuit and protection at the consumer unit for the inverter
- Earthing and bonding of the array and mounting system
- Surge protection, which matters more with roof-mounted equipment
- Isolation points so the system can be shut down safely
- Notification to ESB Networks before the system is connected
- Testing and certification of the new work
If your board is old or full, it needs sorting first. That is a common reason a solar quote turns out to be incomplete.
Does a battery pay for itself?
It depends almost entirely on when you use electricity. If the house is empty all day, most of what the panels make is exported at a low rate, and a battery lets you use it in the evening instead. If somebody is home during the day running a washing machine and an immersion, the panels are already doing that work and a battery adds less.
A cheaper first step is an immersion diverter, which sends surplus generation to heat your hot water instead of exporting it. At €300 to €600 it is a fraction of a battery and suits a lot of Irish houses better.
Before you sign anything
Ask for the panel and inverter make and model, the warranty on each, what the installer estimates you will generate annually and how they calculated it, whether scaffolding is included, who handles the grant application, and whether the electrical work and certification are in the price. A quote that cannot answer those is a sales figure, not a specification.
Get this priced
Send your eircode, a photo of the fuse board, and a line about what you need. Most jobs can be quoted without a call-out.