If you own your home and receive Working Family Payment, you may be able to get much more support for solar panels and a home battery than the standard grant. This page explains how the enhanced SEAI support works, what to check first, and how Solar123 can help you take the next step.
Information last checked on 24 October 2026. The Government announced these measures on 29 September 2026, and most were due to open from 6 October 2026, subject to final implementation. SEAI publishes the detailed rules, so confirm everything on seai.ie. Solar123 is not SEAI or a government body, and contacting us is not an official grant application.
What is the enhanced grant?
As part of its September 2026 package of energy grants, the Government announced that homeowners who receive certain social welfare payments can get grants of up to €9,000 towards a solar PV system of up to 4 kWp and a 5 kWh battery. SEAI administers the scheme. Everyone else can apply for the standard solar PV grant of up to €1,800 and the new €600 battery grant.
Who may qualify?
You will generally need to own and live in the home, and the home must meet SEAI’s rules, including its age. The Government extended solar PV eligibility to homes built and occupied before 2025. You also need to be receiving a qualifying payment from the Department of Social Protection. Payments named by the Government include:
- Working Family Payment (a payment for employees on lower pay with children)
- Fuel Allowance
- One-Parent Family Payment
- Domiciliary Care Allowance
- Certain recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Carer’s Allowance and Disability Allowance
Which payments count, and any extra conditions, are set by SEAI, so check the current list on seai.ie before you proceed.
Enhanced grant or Warmer Homes Scheme?
These are two different SEAI routes, and the difference matters.
Enhanced individual grant (up to €9,000)
- A fixed grant towards a solar PV system and battery.
- You choose an SEAI-registered installer and compare quotations.
- You usually pay the installer, and the grant reduces your cost. Any cost above the grant is yours to cover.
- You need grant approval before works start.
Warmer Homes Scheme (fully funded)
- Free energy upgrades for eligible homeowners on certain payments.
- The Government announced solar PV of up to 4 kWp and a 5 kWh battery as standard for qualifying lower-income households.
- You apply to SEAI, SEAI surveys the home and decides which works are suitable, and an SEAI-appointed contractor does them.
- You do not choose the installer or compare quotes, and there is no charge for the works.
If you qualify for the fully funded Warmer Homes Scheme, that route may suit you better than paying for a system and claiming a grant. SEAI decides who qualifies and what is installed. Timelines depend on SEAI’s capacity, so check current waiting times and compare them with the enhanced individual grant.
What to check before you proceed
- You own and live in the home, and it was built and occupied before 2025.
- You know your MPRN (the number on your electricity bill), and there has been no previous SEAI solar PV grant at that address.
- You currently receive a payment that SEAI accepts for the enhanced grant or the Warmer Homes Scheme.
- Your roof suits solar panels: a good orientation, little shade and enough space.
- Any installer you use is SEAI-registered for the solar PV scheme.
- You have grant approval in writing before any work begins.
How the application works
Enhanced individual grant: choose an SEAI-registered installer, apply to SEAI and wait for approval before works start, complete the installation within the time SEAI allows (8 months from approval for the standard scheme), then complete the post-works paperwork. SEAI has not yet published every detail for the enhanced route, so confirm each step on seai.ie.
Warmer Homes Scheme: apply to SEAI online or by form with evidence of your qualifying payment. SEAI checks your eligibility, surveys the home and arranges any works through its own contractors.
Please never send PPS numbers or welfare documents through our website. If SEAI needs them, you give them directly to SEAI.
What a solar PV system and battery do
Solar panels turn daylight into electricity you can use in the home, which reduces the electricity you buy from your supplier. An inverter converts the panels’ direct current into the alternating current your home uses. A battery stores spare daytime electricity so you can use it in the evening instead of sending it to the grid. SEAI’s own advice is to aim to use as much of your solar electricity as possible in the home. Read more in our guides to solar panels and system options and battery storage.
An example configuration to investigate
You may see offers built around a package such as 10 solar panels, a 5 kW single-phase inverter and a 10 kWh battery. Treat this as a starting point for questions, not a guaranteed package available to every applicant.
- The panel wattage decides the system size. Ten panels of around 400 W would be roughly 4 kWp, which is the size the Government’s announced support is based on.
- The announced support refers to a 5 kWh battery. A 10 kWh battery is larger, so the extra capacity may be an additional cost the grant does not cover.
- Inverter size and the grid connection are subject to ESB Networks rules.
- Product specifications, supplier availability and current grant rules must all be confirmed in writing before you commit.
Comparing quotations
Ask every installer for an itemised quote showing the panels, inverter, battery, installation, any extras and the grant deduction. Check the cost beyond the grant, and ask who handles the paperwork and what warranties apply. Our quote comparison guide has a checklist.
Official resources
Check your grant options and request quote assistance
Tell us about your home. We will talk through which grants may apply and help you request quotations from SEAI-registered installers. This form is not an official SEAI application and does not guarantee eligibility, funding or an installation.