Solar panels in Ireland (October 2026)
What solar panels cost, what the SEAI grant covers and how long they take to pay back, from prices that 21 installers publish and PVGIS solar data for every county. 264 SEAI-registered installers listed.
- Typical 4 kWp system
- €7,800€6,000 after the grant
- SEAI grant
- up to €1,800plus €600 for a battery
- Payback in Dublin
- 6.2 years€967 saved a year
A typical home in Dublin
4 kWp south-facing, 4,200 kWh a year, out during the day, 35c/kWh unit rate, typical installed price.
| Generation per year | 3,930 kWh |
|---|---|
| Used in the home | 1,531 kWh (39% of generation, 36.4% of your use) |
| Exported to the grid | 2,399 kWh |
| Saving on your bill | €536 a year |
| Export payments | €444 a year |
| Tax on export income over €400 | −€12 a year (at 28%) |
| Total benefit | €967 a year |
| Typical price (before grant) | €7,800 |
| SEAI grant | €1,800 |
| Net cost | €6,000 |
| Payback | 6.2 years |
| Net gain over 25 years | €16,943 |
Best-value published packages (3–6 kWp, Dublin)
| # | Installer | System | Price before grant | Grant | After grant | Saving a year | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavin Walker Electrical Contractors Ltd | 6 panels, 3 kWp | €4,500 | €1,600 | €2,900 | €779 | 3.7 yrs |
| 2 | Gavin Walker Electrical Contractors Ltd | 10 panels, 4 kWp | €6,000 | €1,800 | €4,200 | €967 | 4.3 yrs |
| 3 | Caldor Solar Ltd | 12 panels, 5.2 kWp | from €7,700 | €1,800 | €5,900 | €1,146 | 5.2 yrs |
| 4 | WattSolar | 10 panels, 5.1 kWp | €7,800 | €1,800 | €6,000 | €1,131 | 5.3 yrs |
| 5 | Caldor Solar Ltd | 12 panels, 5.2 kWp | from €8,000 | €1,800 | €6,200 | €1,146 | 5.4 yrs |
* size worked out from the panel count. Prices as published on each installer's website; ranked by estimated payback for a typical home, never by commission.
Assumes 4,200 kWh a year, electricity bought at 35c/kWh and exported at 18.5c/kWh (28% tax on export income), south-facing, nobody home in the daytime. SEAI: solar PV €700/kWp up to 2 kWp, then €200/kWp up to 4 kWp (max €1800); battery €600 for 5 kWh or more (open for applications since 6 October 2026; can be claimed with the solar PV grant in one application). Homes built and occupied before 2025; installed by an SEAI-registered company. Battery grant: 5 kWh or more, one per MPRN, with or without solar panels.
Payback by county
| County | Generation (4 kWp) | Saving a year | Payback | With 5 kWh battery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 3,831 kWh | €950 | 6.3 yrs | 6.6 yrs |
| Cavan | 3,554 kWh | €904 | 6.6 yrs | 7 yrs |
| Clare | 3,726 kWh | €935 | 6.4 yrs | 6.7 yrs |
| Cork | 3,886 kWh | €965 | 6.2 yrs | 6.5 yrs |
| Donegal | 3,389 kWh | €869 | 6.9 yrs | 7.3 yrs |
| Dublin | 3,930 kWh | €967 | 6.2 yrs | 6.4 yrs |
| Galway | 3,705 kWh | €932 | 6.4 yrs | 6.8 yrs |
| Kerry | 3,637 kWh | €924 | 6.5 yrs | 6.8 yrs |
| Kildare | 3,760 kWh | €941 | 6.4 yrs | 6.7 yrs |
| Kilkenny | 3,823 kWh | €948 | 6.3 yrs | 6.6 yrs |
| Laois | 3,764 kWh | €943 | 6.4 yrs | 6.7 yrs |
| Leitrim | 3,361 kWh | €863 | 6.9 yrs | 7.3 yrs |
| Limerick | 3,664 kWh | €925 | 6.5 yrs | 6.8 yrs |
| Longford | 3,635 kWh | €921 | 6.5 yrs | 6.9 yrs |
| Louth | 3,900 kWh | €963 | 6.2 yrs | 6.5 yrs |
| Mayo | 3,547 kWh | €901 | 6.7 yrs | 7 yrs |
| Meath | 3,784 kWh | €945 | 6.4 yrs | 6.6 yrs |
| Monaghan | 3,581 kWh | €910 | 6.6 yrs | 6.9 yrs |
| Offaly | 3,753 kWh | €941 | 6.4 yrs | 6.7 yrs |
| Roscommon | 3,714 kWh | €935 | 6.4 yrs | 6.7 yrs |
| Sligo | 3,394 kWh | €870 | 6.9 yrs | 7.3 yrs |
| Tipperary | 3,786 kWh | €949 | 6.3 yrs | 6.6 yrs |
| Waterford | 4,190 kWh | €1,005 | 6 yrs | 6.1 yrs |
| Westmeath | 3,727 kWh | €937 | 6.4 yrs | 6.7 yrs |
| Wexford | 4,325 kWh | €1,025 | 5.9 yrs | 6 yrs |
| Wicklow | 4,014 kWh | €980 | 6.1 yrs | 6.3 yrs |
Export rates
| Supplier | c/kWh exported | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Community Power | 20 | reported elsewhere, not confirmed |
| Electric Ireland | 19.5 | on the supplier's site |
| SSE Airtricity | 19.5 | on the supplier's site |
| Bord Gáis Energy | 18.5 | on the supplier's site |
| Energia | 18.5 | on the supplier's site |
| Flogas | 18.5 | reported elsewhere, not confirmed |
| Pinergy | 18.5 | reported elsewhere, not confirmed |
| Yuno Energy | 17.16 | on the supplier's site |
| PrepayPower | 15.89 | reported elsewhere, not confirmed |
Questions
How much do solar panels cost in Ireland?
Installers' published prices put a typical 4 kWp system (about 9 or 10 panels) at around €7,800 before the SEAI grant, or €6,000 after it. Adding a 5 kWh battery takes it to about €9,700 before grants. There is no VAT on domestic solar panels.
How much is the SEAI solar grant?
€700 per kWp for the first 2 kWp and €200 per kWp from 2 to 4 kWp, up to €1,800. A battery of 5 kWh or more gets a further €600. Homes built and occupied before 2025; installed by an SEAI-registered company. Battery grant: 5 kWh or more, one per MPRN, with or without solar panels.
How long do solar panels take to pay back?
For a typical home in Dublin using 4,200 kWh a year, a 4 kWp south-facing system saves about €967 a year and pays back in about 6.2 years. Using more power during the day, a higher unit rate or a lower price all shorten it.
What do suppliers pay for exported electricity?
Between 17.16c and 19.5c per kWh at the suppliers we checked, under the Clean Export Guarantee. Rates change with notice.
For AI agents and developers
The same data as JSON, free and with no key: GET https://api.alvacompare.com/v1/solar/estimate?county=Cork&battery_kwh=5, /v1/solar/packages?county=Cork, /v1/solar/installers?county=Cork. MCP tools: estimate_solar, compare_solar_packages, find_solar_installers. See API & MCP.