The process
What happens, step by step
Solar projects go wrong in predictable places: grant sequencing, grid lead times, and surveys that never happened. Here is how we run one so those things do not bite.
- Free survey
- Grant guided
- Certified on completion
Accredited & registered Athlone · Installing solar since 2013 (13 years)
SEAI Registered
Safe Electric
Solar Ireland Member
Athlone Chamber
Eight stages
From first call to a system you can forget about
Timings vary with system size, scheme processing and grid lead times. The order of the stages does not vary, because doing things out of sequence is what loses grants and delays connections.
Contact us
Same day, usuallyYou call or send an enquiry. We ask about the building, your bills and what you want solar to do: cut costs, add resilience, meet a reporting obligation, or all three.
- Bring a recent electricity bill if you have one
- Tell us if you have or plan an EV or heat pump
- Say if backup during outages matters to you
Free site survey
Typically 1–2 hours on siteAn engineer visits and assesses what constrains a design: roof structure and condition, pitch and orientation, shading across the seasons, your consumer unit and supply, and where equipment can safely go.
- Roof structure, covering and condition
- Shading assessment, including low winter sun
- Electrical supply, board capacity and earthing
- Cable routes and inverter siting
Design and quotation
Within a few daysWe design a system sized against your consumption pattern, then quote it with the equipment named. Any yield or savings projection comes with the assumptions written down.
- Named panels, inverter, mounting and battery
- Expected generation for your specific roof geometry
- Your grant entitlement, calculated in full
- What is included and what would be an extra
Grant application
Timing set by the schemeFor the home grant, you apply to SEAI and receive the offer letter. It is a short online application we walk you through, with every detail it asks for supplied by us. No work begins before that letter is issued; starting early is the most common way a valid claim is lost.
- Eligibility confirmed before you apply
- We supply every detail the application asks for
- We hold installation until the offer is in place
Grid application
Runs in parallelConnecting a generating system requires notification or agreement with the network operator, depending on size. We handle it. For larger commercial systems this can be the longest lead time in the project, so we start it early.
- Notification or full application depending on system size
- Export limits confirmed before the design is finalised
- Registration completed after commissioning
Installation
Days for domestic, phased for commercialScaffolding or access goes up, panels and mounting are installed, and the electrical work is carried out by a registered electrical contractor. Commercial work is phased around your operations.
- Safe access appropriate to the building
- Mounting specified for your roof type and exposure
- All electrical work certified on completion
- Site left clean and anything disturbed made good
Commissioning and handover
Final day on siteThe system is tested, commissioned and registered, monitoring is set up, and we walk you through what you are looking at, so you can tell whether it is working without ringing us.
- Full electrical testing and certification
- Monitoring configured on your phone or desktop
- Warranties and documentation collected in one place
- Completion documentation supplied for your grant claim
Aftercare
For the life of the systemSolar needs little maintenance, but it does need some. We stay available for servicing, fault diagnosis and repairs, and for commercial and farm systems we recommend a planned maintenance agreement.
- Inspection, cleaning and electrical testing
- Fault diagnosis and repair
- Monitoring alerts on underperformance
Good to know
Questions about the process
How long does an installation take?
A typical domestic installation is completed in a small number of days on site once the system is designed, the grant offer is in place and materials are scheduled. Commercial and farm projects run longer and are phased around your operations. We give you a specific timeline in your quotation rather than a generic estimate.
How do I get a quote?
Call us on the number at the top of this page or send an enquiry through the site. We will talk through what you need, arrange a free site survey, and give you a written quotation with the system design, the equipment specified and the grant position set out clearly.
How do I get paid for electricity I export?
Export payments come from your electricity supplier under the Clean Export Guarantee, not from the government. When we commission your system we notify ESB Networks (the NC6 or NC7 form), which is what registers you as a microgenerator; your supplier then applies its export rate to your account. With a smart meter your actual export is measured; rates vary by supplier, so it is worth comparing. The first €400 a year of export income is exempt from income tax, an exemption currently legislated to the end of 2028.
Does solar affect my BER or my house insurance?
Solar PV normally improves a BER, because it reduces the calculated primary energy use of the home, and a post-works BER assessment is part of the SEAI grant process anyway. On insurance, tell your insurer you have added solar, as with any alteration to the building. Cover for panels is routine.
Do solar panels actually work in the Irish climate?
Yes. Solar PV responds to daylight, not heat or direct sunshine, so panels generate on bright overcast days as well as clear ones. Output is strongly seasonal in Ireland, with summer generation far higher than winter, which is why we size a system around your year-round consumption pattern rather than a headline figure.
Do I need planning permission for solar panels?
Usually not. Rooftop solar on houses is exempt from planning permission, with no area limit, since October 2022 — and that applies anywhere in the country, including inside the 43 Solar Safeguarding Zones around airports and aerodromes, which cap other kinds of building but not houses. The exceptions for a house are protected structures and Architectural Conservation Areas. Rooftop solar on industrial, commercial and agricultural buildings is exempt from planning permission with no area cap outside the 43 Solar Safeguarding Zones near airports and aerodromes. Inside a zone, the exemption for these buildings stops at 300m² of panels — counting anything already installed — so a larger array needs permission. Ground-mounted arrays and protected structures have separate rules, and we confirm the position for every site as part of our survey.
Get started
Start at stage one
A phone call and a look at a recent bill is all it takes to find out whether this is worth pursuing for your property.