SEAI business grants: solar panels, heat pumps, energy audits and electric vans

What is open in 2026

SEAI splits its business grants in two. Small and medium jobs get a set amount and an instant answer. Large projects are assessed one by one and get a percentage of what you spend.

A business can also join an SEAI community grant project through one of SEAI's project co-ordinators. SEAI lists shops, factories and hotels among the partners in those projects.

Solar panels for a business

The solar grant is paid on the size of the system, not on what it costs you.

The bands stack. SEAI's own calculator gives €6,600 for a 20 kWp system and €8,600 for a 30 kWp system, which SEAI says is about 75 panels. A 200 kWp system gets €42,600 and a 1,000 kWp system gets the maximum of €162,600.

1. Pick an installer from SEAI's register of non-domestic solar companies and agree a contract. SEAI recommends getting several quotes.
2. Apply online and wait for the letter of offer. The offer lasts eight months.
3. Your installer applies to ESB Networks to connect the system. That takes at least 20 working days.
4. The system is installed and the installer uploads the paperwork to SEAI.
5. SEAI pays 4 to 6 weeks after it has every document, or later if it inspects the job.

Heat pumps, insulation and other upgrades

The Business Energy Upgrades grants are open to every type of business, and to farms, community groups and charities. The amount is set by your building type, its size and the options you choose.

You register on SEAI's application portal and choose Business Energy Upgrades. Nothing has to be uploaded at this stage. An automated letter of offer arrives within minutes, and you can start the work straight away.

SEAI publishes a pre-application form for each upgrade. Go through it with your contractor first, because it lists what the contractor and the equipment must meet.

The €2,000 energy audit voucher

An energy audit shows where the business uses and wastes energy, and what each fix would cost and save. The auditor claims the €2,000 from SEAI, so in most cases you pay nothing.

Until 11 October 2026 the voucher is for small and medium businesses that are tax compliant, registered in the Republic and spend at least €10,000 a year on energy at the site, not counting transport. Each business gets one voucher.

From 11 October 2026 the size test goes. Any business that uses less than 2.8 GWh of energy a year from all sources can apply. SEAI says the other conditions still apply.

1. Choose an auditor from SEAI's list of registered energy auditors who takes part in the scheme, and agree the cost.
2. Register and fill in SEAI's online form. The voucher is emailed to you automatically if you qualify.
3. The auditor visits, writes the report and claims the payment from SEAI.

If your energy bill is under €10,000 a year, look at the Local Enterprise Office grant for smaller energy-saving jobs instead.

Electric vans, fleets and tax relief

• Small electric van: up to €3,800 off. The list price must be between €15,000 and €60,000.
• Large panel van of exactly 3,500 kg: €7,600 off. The price must be €90,000 or less.
• Electric motorcycles: €500 for a moped and €1,000 for a larger bike.
• Cars: there is no SEAI grant for a car bought by a business. The €3,500 car grant is for private buyers only.

The grants are for new vehicles only. The dealer applies and takes the grant off the price. These grants count as state aid, so one business cannot get more than €300,000 in such aid over three years.

A sole trader, farmer or company can also use the Accelerated Capital Allowance. It lets you deduct the full cost of listed energy-efficient equipment from your profits in the year you buy it, instead of over eight years. For an electric car the allowance is based on the cost or €24,000, whichever is lower.

For the part a grant does not cover, SEAI points businesses to State-backed green loans. Check which State-backed loan schemes are open at the moment before you count on one.

Bigger projects: renewable heat and EXEED

The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat is for commercial, industrial, farm and other non-domestic heat users moving off fossil fuel. It pays up to 40% of the cost of air, ground or water source heat pumps, 35% for geothermal systems, and a further 30% for related work such as heat recovery or insulation. Biomass and biogas systems get a payment based on the heat they produce, for up to 15 years.

EXEED is open to any organisation but is built for large energy users, typically over 100,000 kWh a year. SEAI caps the grant at €2,500 for each tonne of carbon dioxide the project saves in a year, and holds back 10%, up to €30,000, until the project is certified. The fisheries industry is excluded.

Both schemes are assessed in detail and SEAI recommends working with an expert on the application.

What goes wrong

• Starting solar work before the letter of offer. SEAI says not to.
• Letting a solar offer lapse. It is valid for eight months.
• Missing paperwork. SEAI only starts the payment clock when the installer has uploaded every document.
• Wrong bank details. SEAI warns that an incorrect IBAN or BIC delays payment.
• Buying second-hand. The vehicle grants are for new vehicles, and the tax allowance is for new equipment.

On its audit scheme SEAI states that it gives no warranty for the cost, quality or benefit of the work. Choosing the contractor, and checking the quotes, is up to you.

In a rural area, the rural development programme run by Local Action Groups lists solar panels among the projects it can fund. It will not pay for anything another public grant is already covering.

Common questions