Are Solar Panels Worth It? Benefits and Guide
The benefits of solar panels are numerous, including reducing your annual electricity bill, offering the opportunity to offset energy costs by selling any excess energy produced back into the national grid, and reducing Ireland's overall greenhouse emissions. The SEAI are offering grants of up to €2,100 for PV solar installation
What Are the Main Solar Panel Benefits?
Solar panels as a technology have a tremendous amount of benefits in Ireland. Not only are they a great solution to the climate crisis, they can also provide a number of financial and practical benefits to help reduce your carbon footprint and costs at home! Here are some of the main solar panel benefits:
- Greener Energy
Solar panels use sunlight to generate electricity rather than burning fossil fuels. Since there’s nothing else involved in producing the energy, solar panels emit no greenhouse gases and because we’ll never run out of sunlight, it is a completely renewable energy source and better for the environment. - Cheaper Bills
Solar energy can also help you make savings on your energy bills. Since you’ll be using the power from the sunlight, you’ll be using less energy from your energy provider, making your monthly bills much cheaper. After investing in solar panels, you’ll get your return on your investment in as little as three to four years. - Independence from the Grid
With solar panels, you don’t use the energy from the mainstream grid to power your home. This means you don’t have to worry about power cuts or problems with your grid connection to have energy at home. Especially if you invest in a solar panel battery, you’ll have a full back-up power ready to go whenever you need it.
How Much Can I Save With Solar Panels?
The average home with 4 solar panels installed can save over €500 per year on their electricity bills.
There are several factors that will influence how much money you can save with solar panels, including:
- Number of panels installed.
- Your home's annual consumption.
- Positioning of your panels.
- Number of sunny days per year.
The website Purevolt.ie uses a solar panel savings calculator to estimate the potential savings your solar panel system could have. We used it to estimate the savings a standard home with 4 panels installed could make in a year.
- ⛅ Estimated Annual Savings with 4 PV Solar Panels
- Rooftop space required - 3.3m x 3.7m
- System size - 1.74 kWp
- Annual units generated - 1539 kWh
- Annual CO2 emissions saved - 531 kgs
- Annual bill savings - €527.41
Calculations based on standard values and a unit rate of 0.42c per kWh. Figures are designed to give an estimate and are for illustrative purposes.
Are There Grants for Solar Panels?
As part of the government's climate action plan, grants for solar panel installation are available from the Sustainable Energy Authority in Ireland (SEAI).
The amount that you receive for the solar panel grant depends on a lot of factors. However, the most important is the peak output of your new solar panel system.
This means that the amount of power that your solar panel generates at peak times will determine how much you’ll receive in the grant:
| Kilowatt Peak (kWp) | Grant Amount |
|---|---|
| 1 kWp | €800 |
| 2 kWp | €1600 |
| 3 kWp | €1850 |
| 4 kWp | €2100 |
Source: Citizen Information
Last Updated: 06/08/2024
The solar panel grant will cover both the labour and the material for the solar panels to be installed in your property.
For many of the grants, the maximum amount is lower than the average price for PV solar panels (around €4,000) so the grant is intended to foot part of the bill for the over costs.
The grant doesn't cover any solar panel repairs or the purchase of a solar panel battery.
Grant Amount Capped 2024
In 2024, the grant is capped at €2,100. The Government plans to reduce the grant by up to €300 every year, as it expects the cost of solar panel systems to reduce over time. It is intended that the grant will end in 2029.
Do Solar Panels Produce a Lot of Energy in Ireland?
On a sunny day, a typical solar panel system can generate up to 4.5 kWh of electricity per day during the year.
This can reach up to around 10–15 kWh in the summer! This is enough to power a typical household for a day. Given that the average home uses 4,200 kWh a year of electricity, a solar panel system can put a dent in your bill!
Since solar panels are becoming increasingly popular in Ireland as a way to generate renewable energy. The Irish government has set a target of 80% of energy coming from renewable sources by 2030.
Selectra's Solar Panel Tip
"If you think the Irish climate is not suitable for solar panels, even on a cloudy day, PV solar panels can still generate electricity as they capture energy from sunlight, not the heat from the sun"
Can I Sell Energy Produced by Solar Panels?
Microgeneration has become more and more popular, as homeowners who produce a certain amount of their electricity from small scale renewable sources can now sell excess energy back to their supplier.
Once you have solar panels installed, you can apply for the government's Micro-Generation Support Scheme and begin selling any excess energy you produce back to your energy supplier.
Suppliers now offer a 'feed in' tariff, whereby you are paid a certain rate for every kWh you sell back to the supplier.
| Supplier | Rate per kWh | Payment Method |
|---|---|---|
| Bord Gáis | 18.5c | Twice yearly credit |
| Electric Ireland | 21.0c | Credit as per billing cycle |
| Energia | 24.0c | Credit as per billing cycle |
| Flogas | 20.0c | Bi-monthly credit |
| Pinergy | 25.0c | Monthly credit |
| SSE Airtricity | 24.0c | Twice yearly credit |
| Yuno | 15.89c | Twice yearly credit |
Last updated: August 2024
Where Can I Get Solar Panels in Ireland?
We recommend looking for an SEAI approved solar panel company as this is one that has been trained and accredited by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). This means that they are fully certified by the government body to come and install your solar panels for you.
You also can benefit from the SEAI solar panel grant if you use an approved installer, with grant amounts of up to €2,100 available.
There are over 400 SEAI approved solar panel companies currently operating in Ireland. On the SEAI’s website, you can find a complete list of all installers that are registered with the SEAI.The list can be filtered by county so that you can easily find a company operating in your local area.
There are also DIY solar panel kits that you can buy and install by yourself.
Our guide to solar panel companies in Ireland contains more information and advice when shopping around for an installer or components for your already installed solar panel.
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