Solar Panels Ireland Cost [and savings]

Quick calculator

A typical price is

€0.00

System pays for itself in

Typical power generation

0 kWh / year

Enter your requirements

No. of bedrooms (~10 panels):

234563

Adding battery storage:

No battery

Battery

Grant application year:

2024

2025

Need something more accurate?

Try our more detailed calculator

If you're looking for more accurate numbers, then you might want to try our more detailed solar calculator. This will help you see how many panels might fit on your roof, the units of electricity per year you might generate, and even what effect roof angle has on output.

Example 1 of 4

Two-bedroom terraced house

Here are the solar costs and performance numbers for a typical two-bedroom mid-terrace house in the midlands of Ireland. We've assumed that a property of this type can fit a 3.52 kWp (kilowatts peak) system on its roof.

Cost for this example house: €5,891
That's made up of a solar PV system price of €7,871, less the SEAI grant of €1,980.
Array size: 3.52 kWp
That's 8 x 440Wp panels, totalling 16.9 m², which covers most of the south-facing roof.
Generation: 3,063 kWh / year
The units of electricity generated per year.
Payback: 6 years, 4 months
Your system will have paid for itself in 6 years, 4 months, then it's free electricity from then on. It's like a bank account paying 11.6% in interest every year.
CO2 saved: 1,057 kg / year
That's the same as 8,131 kms of driving, or 1.3 flights from DUB (Ireland) to JFK (New York).
Download example quote
Download the two-bedroom terraced house example quote here (with solar battery included) or here (without the battery).

Example 2 of 4

Three-bedroom semi-detached house

Here are the solar costs and performance numbers for a typical three-bedroom semi-detached / end-of-terrace house in the midlands of Ireland. We've assumed that a property of this type can fit a 4.4 kWp (kilowatts peak) system on its roof.

Cost for this example house: €6,145
That's made up of a solar PV system price of €8,245, less the SEAI grant of €2,100.
Array size: 4.4 kWp
That's 10 x 440Wp panels, totalling 21.2 m², which covers most of the south-facing roof.
Generation: 3,848 kWh / year
The units of electricity generated per year.
Payback: 5 years, 6 months
Your system will have paid for itself in 5 years, 6 months, then it's free electricity from then on. It's like a bank account paying 13.4% in interest every year.
CO2 saved: 1,328 kg / year
That's the same as 10,215 kms of driving, or 1.6 flights from DUB (Ireland) to JFK (New York).
Download example quote
Download the three-bedroom semi-detached house example quote here (with solar battery included) or here (without the battery).

Example 3 of 4

Four-bedroom stand-alone house

Here are the solar costs and performance numbers for a typical four-bedroom stand-alone house in the midlands of Ireland. We've assumed that a property of this type can fit a 5.28 kWp (kilowatts peak) system on its roof.

Cost for this example house: €6,565
That's made up of a solar PV system price of €8,665, less the SEAI grant of €2,100.
Array size: 5.28 kWp
That's 12 x 440Wp panels, totalling 25.4 m², which covers most of the south-facing roof.
Generation: 4,874 kWh / year
The units of electricity generated per year.
Payback: 5 years, 1 month
Your system will have paid for itself in 5 years, 1 month, then it's free electricity from then on. It's like a bank account paying 14.6% in interest every year.
CO2 saved: 1,682 kg / year
That's the same as 12,938 kms of driving, or 2 flights from DUB (Ireland) to JFK (New York).
Download example quote
Download the four-bedroom stand-alone house example quote here (with solar battery included) or here (without the battery).

Example 4 of 4

Six-bedroom stand-alone house

Here are the solar costs and performance numbers for a typical six-bedroom stand-alone house in the midlands of Ireland. We've assumed that a property of this type can fit a 7.04 kWp (kilowatts peak) system on its roof.

Cost for this example house: €7,338
That's made up of a solar PV system price of €9,438, less the SEAI grant of €2,100.
Array size: 7.04 kWp
That's 16 x 440Wp panels, totalling 33.8 m², which covers most of the south-facing roof.
Generation: 6,098 kWh / year
The units of electricity generated per year.
Payback: 4 years, 7 months
Your system will have paid for itself in 4 years, 7 months, then it's free electricity from then on. It's like a bank account paying 16.3% in interest every year.
CO2 saved: 2,104 kg / year
That's the same as 16,185 kms of driving, or 2.5 flights from DUB (Ireland) to JFK (New York).
Download example quote
Download the six-bedroom stand-alone house example quote here (with solar battery included) or here (without the battery).

How many solar panels do I need?

It's one of the most common questions we're asked: How many solar panels do I need to run my house in Ireland? Well, every house is different and so are the needs of every family. For a very rough guide, the quick calculator above provides an estimate of how many panels typically fit on the roof of various house types. If you're looking for more accurancy, check out our more detailed solar calculator. Here, you can use measurements to calculate how many panels might fit on your roof.

Because you can store any excess in a battery, or simply sell surplus electricity back to the grid, it usually makes most long-term sense to get as many solar panels as you can fit on your roof.

What's the payback period for solar panels?

It typically takes around 5-6 years to recoup the cost of solar panels in Ireland. After that, you can enjoy free electricity for the remaining lifespan of your panels. Most solar panels come with a 25-year warranty, so you should be getting renewable energy from your roof for at least that long. Many solar panels actually last a lot longer than this but, realistically, technology will likely have improved significantly by then and you may be ready to upgrade.

What solar grants are available?

Irish domestic solar grants are awarded by the Sustainable Eneergy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and is available for private residences where the applicant is the homeowner. The grant can reduce the cost of solar panels in Ireland by 25% or even more, and so it's a gamechanger for a typical family looking to go solar. In 2024, the maximum solar grant amount is €2,100, but that will be going down by €300 to €1,800 at the start of 2025.Find out more in our Irish solar grants guide...

Should I get a solar battery?

Simply put, the need for a solar battery comes down to your household's lifestyle. A solar battery is more suitable and cost-effective for people who are out most of the daytime, as it allows you to make the most of the energy generated while you're away. For people who are out at work during the day, a storage battery will more than pay for itself over the system's lifespan, despite the higher upfront cost. For more information, see our guide to batteries for solar panels.

How many of our customers choose to get a solar battery?

About two thirds of our customers choose to get add battery storage to their solar PV system. For most of those, one solar battery is enough. About 15% of all customers choose to get more than one battery.

How many solar storage batteries have our past customers bought?

What does a solar storage battery cost?

A typical solar storage battery (which can store about 5.1kWh of power) will add around €1,700 - €2,200 to the PV solar panel installation cost.

The example quotes given on this page have been calculated both with and without a battery, showing you how battery storage affects payback period and power usage.

Who would benefit from a battery?

If you're usually away from home during the day when your panels generate most of their electricity, a battery is worth considering as it stores that energy for when you return later. However, if your home is typically occupied during the day, storage becomes less of a priority.

For all homes, they help smooth peaks and troughs. Solar provides steady power, but when you flick on the kettle or turn on the oven, your home's electricity demand suddenly doubles for a short period.

Alternatives to a battery

There are other ways to use excess power generated when you're not home — you can sell your excess electricity to the grid (see our feed-in tariffs guide), overflow to EV car charging, or (less commonly these days) use a hot water diverters. Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to weigh the pros and cons of each solution.

Solar storage battery calculator

We also have a separate solar battery savings calculator, which you can adjust to see if the numbers work for you.

How we did these calculations

The guide prices on this page include both the equipment and installation. Adding a standard-sized solar storage battery (5.3kWh) would increase the price by approximately €1,700 - €2,200. This cost includes the hybrid inverter required to work with the battery.

Let's start with a disclaimer - this is just a rough guide to help you decide if you'd like to investigate getting solar PV panels installed on your house. Each property is unique, so if solar appeals, we would do a unique quote (for free) after visiting the property. That allows us to do a proper system design and calculate accurate numbers for you.

The numbers here are realistic for average domestic solar panel installations in Ireland in 2024. We've not rounded down the prices nor rounded up the production numbers. These represent typical installations of household solar PV systems in Ireland. We hope this information helps you make an informed decision about installing solar panels on your home.

Location: Midlands of Ireland

The location doesn't make a huge difference to solar output in Ireland, though we take your exact location into account when doing custom quotes.

House and roof access: simple

We've assumed there's no complexity to accessing the property or roof.

Roof: south-facing, average slope (~30°)

If your roof faces south-east, or south-west, the production would be about 5% lower. If your roof faces east or west, production would be about 20% lower. Please note though, that there are some benefits to east / west-facing solar panels as their production matches standard consumption patterns - the panels generate in the morning and evening, when more electricity tends to be consumed, so you might not need a battery and might get to use more of your electricity produced. Just contact us if you'd like to discuss such details.

We'd not recommend PV solar in Ireland if your roof faces north.

Shading: none

Shading, from surrounding obstacles such as trees in neighbouring properties, or large chimneys on your house, can impact solar production. We have assumed there is no shading for these numbers.

Electricity Consumption: standard

We have also assumed a typical usage pattern, with some activity during weekdays and the property being occupied most weekends.

Hot-water diverter: none

Another use of excess electricity is to heat your hot water via an immersion heater. Generally, we don't recommend these any more. Since the advent of smart meter tariff plans, they no longer make financial sense for more people. More about hot water diverters.

Electricity Supplier and Tariff: Energia Urban Smart Meter

We have calculated using the Energia Urban Smart Meter tariff. This is a great rate for those with solar due to the high feed-in tariff payments they give you.

Feed-in tariff: Pinergy - 25 cents / kWh

Feed-in tariffs were implemented in Ireland in 2022. Officially, they are called the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff. This is where you get paid for any excess electricity that you export back to the national grid.

Each electricity supplier sets their own rates, with Pinergy (25 cents / kWh) Energia (24 cents / kWh), and Electric Ireland (21 cents / kWh) being the best so far.

Find out more about Solar Feed-in Tariffs in Ireland (CEG tariff).

How accurate are our predictions and forecasts?

In our proposals, as well as those from our competitors, you'll find detailed information, including predictions for potential electricity generation and financial savings. Generation, in particular, is required by the SEAI (the people who give out the grants), so you should find that on every quote you get.

We want to clarify the assumptions made so you know the amount of salt you need to add to the various figures.

Electricity Production Figures

Although production figures are only ever indicative, you can expect them to provide a reasonable guide. We do have to make a lot of assumptions here, and factors such as weather and shading are two variables that can affect your end output quite a bit. That said, we include a lot in the predictions that are specific to your home — the exact panel type, your location in the country (further north means less sun, we take that into account), the angle of your roof, the direction the panels are facing, typical inverter losses and more. So, they'll never be exact, but they should be in the right ballpark.

Financial savings

These are more speculative. There's a huge amount of assumptions we have to make, and your case may differ very significantly. So take these figures with a good dose of caution, they're notoriously hard to predict with total accuracy.

One of the main issues is usage patterns vs. generation patterns. With smart meters, electricity prices vary hugely throughout the day. Your patterns of generation and usage might mean that you are offsetting a large quantity of peak-rate units — great for you, as you are making a big saving. Your neighbour, with the same system, might be offsetting mainly low-rate units, so their savings could be a fraction of yours.

Financial savings on batteries

Here you have the greatest influence through which tariff you are on, and how you use your set-up. A "night boost" unit might be ¼ of the price of a normal day unit. So, someone who opts for those tariffs with their utility supplier, who then uses their battery to charge up every night at those super cheap rates, suddenly gets more than double the financial gain from their battery.

As always, we are only too happy to help — if you have questions about how to set up and use your system for the most financial benefit, please just ask.