What changes with the Grant

The Government recently announced the launch of the Micro-Generation Support Scheme (MSS) which will enable households to install renewable generation for their own consumption and receive a payment for any residual electricity they export to the grid (Clean Energy Guarantee).  SEAI are delighted to announce that from the 16th February 2022 homeowners will be able to make applications under the new criteria included in the MSS. This new criteria includes changes to the following:

Pre 2021 homes:
The pre 2011 requirement has changed to pre 2021. This includes all homes built and occupied up to 31st Dec 2020.

Minimum C BER requirement:
There is no longer a requirement for a minimum C3 BER. The requirement for a post works BER remains.

Battery grant:
Support for battery installations will be removed as in future homeowners will be able to avail of the Clean Energy Guarantee offered by Energy Suppliers. Existing battery applications will be processed as normal. Please submit any applications for batteries by CoB on Tuesday 15th February. We will not accept new battery grant applications after this date.

The above will come into effect from the 16th February 2022. Note the portal will be down for a few hours on the 16th to make the system updates.

Solar PV documentation (Code of Practice etc) will be updated to reflect he above changes and will be available on the website from Wednesday 16th February 2022. Please ensure that you are using the latest versions of these documents going forward.

What is Solar P.V?

Solar P.V or Solar Photo Voltaic are panels that generate electricity from light. They can be roof mounted onto your existing roof. The electricity they produce is converted from DC (direct current) voltage to AC (alternating current) voltage so it may be used to power some of your home appliances.

Is Solar P.V safe?

Yes, it is very safe but it cannot be installed by anyone. Only trained professionals can install Solar P.V and only registered electrical contractors registered with SAFE Electric and the SEAI’s Renewable Installer Register can certify the installation. There is very strict compliance guide lines and code of practices in place to safe guard you (the homeowner) from incompetent and poor installations.

How do I know if my home is Eligible?

There are 2 criterias that your property must meet in order to qualify for the grant.

1. Your property must be built and occupied before 31sr October 2020.
2. A post works BER is required.

OK, my home is Eligible. What do I do now?

You can contact us direct and we firstly undertake a remote survey. We will present to you a professional proposal and discuss everything with you. Once we submit our proposal and discuss our payment options on how the savings generated together with the grant will increase your return on investment. Then you are ready to apply for the grant.

OK, How do I apply for the grant?

You apply for the grant through the SEAI website. You must register first using your name and email address. The following link will take you directly to the correct webpage https://mgen.seai.ie/

You will need the following details when completing the online form

• MPRN Number. This is a 10 digit number on your electricity bill
• Eircode
• Bank IBAN and BIC numbers for the payment

Once the form is submitted the SEAI will issue you via email the grant offer for you to proceed.

How long does the process take?

From the initial survey and if you are comfortable with our proposal, we can have your new solar PV system fitted within weeks. Once agreed, we will enter into a contract (requirement for the SEAI grant) and commit to delivering the works to the highest standard. When the project is completed, which in most cases is within one working day we can submit all the necessary paperwork onto the SEAI portal. The SEAI will check and verify all projects and in some cases send an official inspector out to the property to carry out a detailed inspection of the works. Once satisfied and all paperwork is in order then the payment is approved. Payments can take up to 6 weeks to process.

How much of a grant am I entitled too?

From the 16/02/2022 there is a grant of €900 per kWp for the first 2 kilowatt power (kWp) of solar installed on your property and €300 per kWp pro rata for every kWp after that to a maximum  4kWp. 

To get the maximum €2,400 allowance in the grant you have to install 4kWp or more solar panels.

See table below

What guarantee do I have that my system will perform for years after you have installed it?

Solar P.V is like LED Lighting, once installed correctly it will perform according to the manufacturer’s performance warranty. There are however superior products on the market that will outperform others over their lifespan. As a consumer, it is vital that you do not make your decision based on the lowest price received from other suppliers. Price is important but when it comes to Solar P.V, the performance and quality of the panel is more important as the panels must perform over their 20-year design life.

Where are your panels manufactured?

Our panels are manufactured by a TIER 1 listed manufacturers. We use manufacturers such as Sunergy, Longi, JA Solar.

What battery system do you offer?

We offer the EVI – all in one inverter and battery storage system. There are 2 versions of the system and with both systems additional batteries can be added. Both the inverter and the battery are all contained in one unit and very compact, unlike competitor products which have seperate battery units. Click here to view our brochure 

What is different about your battery system?

The EVi all in one is a very powerful and intelligent battery storage system. It has 10,000 cycles and comes with a 10 year manufacturers warranty. A cycle is when the battery charges to its full capacity and dischages all its energy. Inferior competitor products only have 4,500 cycles. So if your battery does one cycle a day the difference in lifespan is approx 15 years.

Another very valuable point is our batteries come with a very smart battery management system (BMS) built into them. It is possible to charge the batteries during the winter using very cheap night rate electricity and then discharge them during the evening when electricity is more expensive. This is all done remotely via our engineering portal which comes with every system

Do you offer finance for the entire project?

Yes, we can offer finance through our finance partner Flexi-Fi. We can offer finance over a 24-month term or a 36-month term on values from €1,000 – €15,000 with interest set at 6.9%. You can get a quote direct through the Flexi-Fi online portal by click this link. Get Finance Quote

After the installation is complete, do I require any training on how to use the system?

Essentially no. The system pretty much is self-sufficient once installed. However, the following documents are required to be handed over to the home owner once the project is complete and paid for.

• Datasheets for Solar PV Modules, Inverters, and Battery Energy Storage System
• Warranties for Solar PV Modules, Inverters, Mounting System
• O&M Manual for Homeowner. Basic start up, shut down, safety, operation and maintenance instructions
• Estimation of system performance calculated using common estimator tools and databases such as PVSyst, PVSol, PVGIS, NREL or other equivalent, considering the actual location, orientation, pitch, location and over shading conditions of the PV modules.

The commissioning engineer on the day will give a run through the system and be available to answer any of your questions.