Solar panels for nursing homes, practices and pharmacies
Care settings use electricity every hour of every day. Find out how solar, batteries and the SEAI business grant can cut that cost – and what solar can and can’t do for resilience – then get quotes from SEAI-registered installers.
Get Solar QuotesCheck Your Grant OptionsWhy solar suits healthcare buildings
Healthcare premises have steady, predictable demand and roofs that are usually owned for the long term. That combination suits solar well, provided the system is designed around safety, continuity of care and the way your building actually uses power.
Constant base load
Nursing homes run lighting, ventilation, lifts, call systems, kitchens, laundries and hot water around the clock. Daytime solar output is almost always used on site.
Clinic hours match the sun
GP, dental and physiotherapy practices are busiest on weekday daytimes, exactly when panels produce most.
Fridges that never stop
Pharmacies, practices and vets keep medicines and vaccines refrigerated 24/7, and many pharmacies trade long hours, six or seven days a week.
Grant up to 45% of cost
Healthcare businesses can apply for SEAI’s Non-Domestic Microgen Grant, now paying the lower of the table amount and 45% of cost for new applications.
Tax relief for businesses
PV systems and inverters are on SEAI’s Triple E register for Accelerated Capital Allowances, extended to 31 December 2030.
Predictable running costs
Locking in part of your electricity supply helps budgeting, whether you are a family-run nursing home or a single-handed GP.
Energy-use profiles by type of practice
We don’t publish “typical” savings – installers should model your own data. These are the loads they will look at:
Nursing homes
Laundry, catering, hot water, lifts and hoists, ventilation, lighting and nurse-call systems. Electric heating or heat pumps add winter load. Daytime demand is high all year, so self-consumption is usually strong.
GP & primary care
Lighting, IT, vaccine fridges, sterilisation, heating controls and air conditioning in consulting rooms. Weekday hours, often with evening surgeries.
Dental practices
Compressors, suction units, autoclaves, X-ray and imaging, chair motors and lighting. Mostly daytime, weekday load.
Pharmacies
Shop lighting, refrigeration, dispensing robots and IT, plus heating and cooling. Long trading hours spread demand across the day.
Veterinary practices
Theatre equipment, imaging, autoclaves, kennel heating, hot water and fridges. Hospitals with in-patients run overnight too.
Primary care centres
Shared buildings may have a landlord supply and tenant meters. Check who owns the roof and which MPRN the panels would serve.
Start with 12 months of bills or half-hourly data from your supplier. If your site spends at least €10,000 a year on energy, SEAI’s €2,000 energy audit voucher for SMEs can identify savings in lighting, controls and equipment before you size solar.
Typical system sizes and roof options
Installers will size the system to your base load, roof and electricity supply. As a reference, SEAI’s own example puts a 30 kWp system at about 75 panels and 125 m².
Nursing home roofs
Purpose-built homes often have large pitched or flat roofs over several wings. Panels can be spread across wings feeding one connection, or split by meter.
Converted houses & surgeries
Many practices operate from converted houses or town-centre buildings with smaller, shaded or heritage roofs. A careful survey matters more than a big array.
Flat roofs
Ballasted systems add weight; fixed systems penetrate the membrane. Ask for a structural check and confirm the roofer’s warranty.
Car park canopies
Staff and visitor car parks can carry solar carports with EV chargers. These usually need planning permission – try our solar carport calculator.
Our system options guide covers panels, inverters and mounting.
SEAI grant, tax and VAT for healthcare
The SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Grant is open to businesses and other organisations for systems from 1 kWp to 1,000 kWp. For new applications made between 6 October 2026 and 6 July 2027, SEAI pays the lower of its table amount and 45% of invoiced cost, up to €325,200.
- Choose an SEAI-registered Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) company and sign a contract before you apply.
- No works before your letter of offer (valid eight months).
- Premises built before 31 December 2024; one system per MPRN; no stacking with other State grant aid for the same works (SEAI terms).
- Batteries are not grant-aided under this scheme.
Capital allowances: Accelerated Capital Allowances under s.285A TCA 1997 let companies and unincorporated businesses write off qualifying listed equipment in year one, and Revenue has extended the scheme to 31 December 2030 (eBrief 028/2026). Photovoltaic systems and inverters are listed on SEAI’s Triple E register.
VAT is often a real cost in healthcare. Medical care by registered practitioners, dental services, and hospital and nursing-home care are exempt activities under Schedule 1 of the VAT Consolidation Act 2010, so a practice or home that only makes exempt supplies generally can’t reclaim VAT on solar. The 0% rate applies only to homes and recognised schools; other buildings may get the reduced rate under a supply-and-install contract if goods are no more than two-thirds of the price (Revenue). VAT-registered businesses, such as a pharmacy selling goods, may be able to reclaim. Ask your accountant.
Checked 25 October 2026. Full process in our solar grants guide.
| 1 kWp | €1,800 |
| 2 kWp | €3,600 |
| 3 kWp | €4,200 |
| 4–6 kWp | €4,800 |
| 7–20 kWp | €600 per kWp |
| 21–200 kWp | €400 per kWp |
| 201–1,000 kWp | €300 per kWp |
| Maximum grant | €325,200 |
Worked table amounts (our arithmetic, applying each band in turn – the bands add up exactly to SEAI’s €325,200 maximum at 1,000 kWp):
| 20 kWp system | €13,200 |
| 50 kWp system | €25,200 |
| 100 kWp system | €45,200 |
| 200 kWp system | €85,200 |
For new applications from 6 Oct 2026 to 6 Jul 2027, SEAI pays the lower of the table amount and 45% of your invoiced cost. Checked 25 Oct 2026 – confirm on SEAI before you sign.
Other supports for healthcare providers
SEAI Community Energy Grant
Community and not-for-profit organisations can join project-coordinated bundles of upgrades. SEAI’s 2024 guidelines gave up to 50% for charities and not-for-profit facilities, and up to 30% for Section 38 organisations and hospitals, but solar PV was not supported as a single measure unless self-consumption could be independently verified. Check the current guidelines with a project coordinator.
Charities VAT Compensation Scheme
Registered charities running care services may be able to claim back part of the VAT they pay under the Charities VAT Compensation Scheme, based on their share of non-public funding. Claims run 1 January to 30 June for the previous year.
Clean Export Guarantee
Surplus power is paid under the Clean Export Guarantee. Rates are set by each supplier, so compare them.
Resilience: what solar can and can’t do in a power cut
This is the most common misunderstanding in care settings. A standard grid-connected solar system switches off automatically during a power cut, even on a sunny day. As SEAI explains, this protects ESB Networks crews working on the lines. Solar alone is not backup power.
To keep selected circuits running during an outage you need:
- A battery sized to the essential load and the length of outage you want to cover.
- A changeover arrangement (manual or automatic) that completely isolates those circuits from the grid for the duration of the outage.
- Design and certification by a Registered Electrical Contractor to the National Rules for Electrical Installations (I.S. 10101).
Solar, batteries and your standby generator
Nursing homes and larger practices often already have a standby generator. A battery system does not replace it automatically; it has to be designed to work alongside it. Ask installers to explain, in writing:
- Which circuits the battery would support, and for how long.
- How the system interacts with your generator and changeover switch.
- What happens to the battery when the grid returns.
- How firefighters can isolate the PV and battery – panels remain live in daylight.
Bring your fire safety adviser and insurer in early, particularly in residential care buildings. More in our battery storage guide.
Planning permission for healthcare buildings
S.I. No. 493 of 2022 exempts most rooftop solar from planning permission, with no area limit outside a Solar Safeguarding Zone. Which class applies depends on how the building is used:
Health centres & hospitals (Class 61)
Panels at least 50 cm from a pitched roof edge (2 m on flat roofs), no more than 15 cm above a pitched roof (1.2 m on flat). Wall-mounted panels are not exempt; free-standing panels up to 75 m² and 2.5 m high.
Business premises (Class 56(e))
Pharmacies, surgeries in commercial units and veterinary practices will often fall here. Similar roof rules; wall panels not exempt; free-standing up to 75 m² and 2.5 m.
Conditions for both
Electricity used primarily (over 50%) on site; no hazardous glint or glare; inside a Solar Safeguarding Zone, rooftop panels capped at 300 m² with council notification within four weeks. The Department notes that zones include areas near sites with helipads, such as hospitals (gov.ie).
Nursing homes and mixed-use buildings may not fit neatly into one class – ask your installer or a planning consultant to confirm. Protected structures and Architectural Conservation Areas need extra care.
Grid connection and EV charging
NC6 micro-generation
Up to about 6 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase; the installer notifies ESB Networks (ESB Networks). Suits many surgeries and pharmacies.
NC7 mini-generation
6–17 kVA single-phase or 11–50 kVA three-phase. Fee €1,041.81 incl. VAT; offers typically in 8–10 weeks; export can’t exceed import capacity (ESB Networks).
Larger homes
Above 50 kVA is small-scale generation (up to 200 kVA) and above that ECP. Allow extra time within your eight-month grant offer.
EV charging
Home-visit and community-care fleets, staff and visitors can use daytime surplus. Under the EU buildings rules, existing non-residential buildings with more than 20 parking spaces needed at least one charge point from 1 January 2025, though buildings owned and occupied by SMEs are exempt (Mason Hayes & Curran).
How it works
Solar123 is an independent advice and quote-matching service based in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. We don’t install. We help you understand the options, then – only with your consent – pass your enquiry to SEAI-registered installers who survey and quote.
Type of service, opening hours, roof, supply, 12 months of bills and whether you own or lease.
Grant, capital allowances, VAT position, planning class and whether backup power is realistic for your goals.
SEAI-registered installers check roof, supply and load, then quote in writing with a grant calculation.
Use our quote comparison guide to compare kWp, equipment, battery and backup design, warranties and price.
Grant letter of offer and ESB Networks connection first, then installation planned around residents and patients. More on how it works.
Choosing an installer for a care setting: checklist
- SEAI-registered Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) company.
- Experience in occupied buildings, with a plan for noise, dust, access and residents’ safety.
- Models generation against your actual load, including night-time use.
- Explains clearly whether the system provides any backup – and how.
- Safe Electric registered electrician; certificates at handover.
- Coordinates with your fire safety adviser, insurer and generator maintainer.
- Monitoring that flags faults quickly.
- Written warranties and grant calculation.
Healthcare solar FAQs
Will solar panels keep our nursing home running in a power cut?
Not on their own. Grid-tied systems shut down when the grid fails. Backup requires a battery and a properly designed changeover system, working alongside your standby generator.
Can a GP or dental practice get the SEAI grant?
Yes, as a business. New applications from 6 October 2026 to 6 July 2027 get the lower of the table amount and 45% of invoiced cost.
Can we reclaim the VAT?
Usually not if you only provide VAT-exempt medical, dental or nursing-home care. If you are VAT-registered for taxable sales, you may be able to reclaim. Ask your accountant.
Do we need planning permission?
Usually not for rooftop panels outside a Solar Safeguarding Zone if you meet the S.I. 493/2022 conditions. Carports and large ground arrays generally need permission.
We lease our surgery. Can we still install solar?
You need the landlord’s written consent and authority to install. Agree who owns the system and what happens at the end of the lease.
Is a battery worth it?
It depends on your night-time load, tariff and whether you want backup. SEAI’s business grant doesn’t fund batteries, so ask for payback with and without one.
How long does installation take?
On-site work is often short, but grant approval and ESB Networks connection come first. NC7 offers typically take 8–10 weeks after paying the fee.
More answers on our FAQ page and industries we service. Similar 24/7 loads? See solar for hotels and hospitality.
Get your healthcare solar quote today
Tell us about your nursing home, practice or pharmacy and we’ll match you with SEAI-registered installers who’ll survey, size to your load and quote. Or call 089 450 4544
Sending an enquiry is not an official grant application. You can also email sales@solar123.ie.