If you want solar panels on a new house in Cork, budget for them as part of the build, because the SEAI solar grant is for older homes and a new build does not qualify. The good news is that designing solar panels in from the start costs less than retrofitting them, and a rural site often gives you more roof to choose from than a suburban one. A detached garage, a workshop or a south facing outbuilding can carry the panels while the house roof stays clean.
This guide is written for people building their own home around Cork, from a farmhouse replacement in North Cork to a one off house on a West Cork hillside or a new home on the edge of Carrigaline or Midleton. It looks at the grant question, where the panels and battery can go on a bigger site, and the cabling to get right while the ground and the walls are open.
Why the SEAI grant will not cover your self build
Many self builders assume there is a grant for solar on a new house. There is not. The SEAI Solar Electricity Grant is for owners of homes built and occupied before 2011, and it also asks for works not to start until the grant offer is issued. A house you are building now falls outside that.
That does not make solar a bad idea. It simply means the system should be priced and designed with the rest of the house, so it is part of the build contract rather than an extra bolted on later. New homes also have to meet the energy performance rules in Part L of the Building Regulations, which expect a share of the home's energy to come from renewable sources; your BER assessor will tell you whether the heat pump covers that or whether solar helps the numbers.
Solar panels on the garage or an outbuilding roof
On a large Cork site the house roof is not the only option. A detached garage or shed with a good south facing slope can be a better home for solar panels, especially if the house roof is broken up by dormers, roof lights or a chimney. It also keeps the main elevation tidy, which can matter on a site where the planners are watching how the house sits in the landscape.
The catch is the cable. Power from an outbuilding has to come back to the house, so plan these at the groundworks stage:
- A duct from the outbuilding to the house, sized with room to spare, laid in the same trench as the water and any garden lighting.
- A second duct for data, so a Cat6 or fibre link can reach the outbuilding for monitoring and Wi-Fi.
- A draw cord in each, so cables can be pulled through without digging.
- Marked routes on the drawings, so nobody puts a fence post through them a year later.
Show any panels on the planning drawings for the house. Ground mounted arrays in a field have their own planning conditions, so check with your designer and Cork County Council before you commit to one.
Battery space on a one off house
A battery lets you use the day's solar in the evening, and on a rural site it can be part of a plan for keeping chosen circuits running in a power cut. That only works if the system is designed for it, because most grid connected systems shut down when the grid goes off. Decide early whether backup matters to you, as it changes which equipment we specify and how the consumer unit is laid out.
The inverter and battery want a cool, dry, ventilated spot close to the consumer unit. A utility room, plant room or integral garage is ideal. If the panels are on an outbuilding, it can make sense to house the equipment there and bring one cable back to the house, but that needs to be worked out on the drawings, not on site.
Your solar checklist, stage by stage
| Stage | What to decide or do |
|---|---|
| Design | Choose the roof or outbuilding for the panels, mark the inverter and battery positions and decide whether you want backup in a power cut |
| Planning | Show the panels on the planning drawings |
| Groundworks | Lay power and data ducts to any outbuilding, each with a draw cord |
| Roof | Agree with the roofer whether the panels sit on rails or in the roof, and where the cables enter |
| First fix | Run the cable route from the roof to the inverter, the cable to the consumer unit and a Cat6 to the equipment, with airtight sealing |
| Second fix | Fit and commission the panels, inverter and battery, and register the system with ESB Networks |
Our first fix wiring guide goes into the airtight details, and our EV charger wiring guide for Cork self builds covers the driveway ducts, which are often in the same trench as the solar cables.
Getting the most from the power you make
Solar panels pay back best when the house uses its own power. With a heat pump, a hot water cylinder, an EV charger and a battery all on site, a smart home can decide what runs when: hot water while the sun is out, the car after the battery is full, and the battery saved for the evening. Our home automation page shows how that looks on one app, and our guide to heat pump controls explains the heating side.
We design, supply and install solar panels and batteries alongside the rest of the smart home. Kieran McGuire, who founded the company, is an electrician by trade, and a few of our installers are electricians too, so the electrical side is planned properly from the first drawing. Our survey and design service gives your electrician a full set of drawings and a cable schedule.
Questions we are often asked
Is there any grant for solar panels on a new build in Cork?
Not from the SEAI solar scheme, which is limited to homes built and occupied before 2011. Price solar into the build instead, where it is cheaper to fit than as a retrofit.
Can I put the panels on my garage instead of the house?
Yes, if the garage roof faces the right way and is not shaded. Plan a power duct and a data duct back to the house at groundworks stage.
Will a battery keep the house running in a storm?
Only if it is designed and wired for backup, and even then it usually covers chosen circuits rather than the whole house. Tell us early if this matters to you.
Do I need three phase power for solar?
Not for a typical home system. A larger array, several electric cars or a big workshop may justify three phase, so raise it with your electrician before the ESB connection is applied for.
What happens if I do not fit solar now?
Run the cable route, the consumer unit space and the ducts anyway. Then panels can be added later without opening finished walls.
On a big rural site the network matters as much as the power, because the inverter, the battery and the outbuildings all need a reliable connection. Send us your plans and we will mark the Wi-Fi access points, list the Cat6 runs to the comms cabinet and send a priced kit list, free and with no obligation: see how our free Wi-Fi design works.
Book a consultation or call our Cork office on 021 202 8107.
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