Solar grant scheme to be extended to newer builds

A SOLAR GRANT scheme available to houses built before 2021 is set to be extended to newer builds.

Energy Minister Darragh O’Brien is to bring a package of measures designed to move Irish homes closer towards cleaner energy to Cabinet next week.

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One such measure will extend the eligibility of the scheme to houses built and occupied before 2025.

The existing Solar PV grant scheme is available under the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Solar panels that produce electricity are known as solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. 

The scheme allows a maximum grant of €1,800 that is paid to successful applicants after works have been completed. This maximum grant will remain unchanged.

It is understood the minister’s move to include newer builds in the popular scheme comes on foot of affordability issues, particularly rising energy costs exacerbated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

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Homes built between 2020 and 2025 are less likely to have installed solar PV than homes built between 2015 and 2020, as these older homes are more likely to take the step to meet the renewable energy requirement of the Building Regulations, the department said.

Changes to these building regulations in 2021 mean more new builds opt to install heat pumps to meet the upped renewable energy requirements. 

The grant scheme came into operation in February 2022 after a previous pilot version.