Ireland recorded more than 10,000 solar applications from January to March 2026 as part of its home energy upgrade programme, a 65% increase on the same period last year.
The figures show that residential solar is steadily gaining popularity in Ireland, as PV panel applications lead the government’s residential energy upgrade programme. Applications for Ireland’s Home Energy Upgrade Program have increased by 96% so far in 2026, according to new data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The state agency responsible for administering the scheme revealed that it processed more than 29,000 applications in the period from January to March this year.
Of this number of 29,000, more than 10,000 applications related to solar energy – an increase of 65% year on year. However, the heat pump and attic insulation application segments recorded the highest percentages of year-on-year growth.
Requests for loft insulation increased by 81% year-on-year, with more than 1,730 requests registered, while requests for heat pumps increased by 95%. Despite the high year-on-year growth rate for heat pumps, the segment only received around 350 applications.
In total, the government is targeting 73,000 home energy upgrades by 2026 and has allocated €640 million ($751.1 million) to the plan in its 2026 budget. The state has also added some categories to the scheme that are specifically intended to alleviate energy poverty, such as the new subsidies for the energy poor. Since its launch in March 2026, more than 150 applications have been registered.
William Walsh, CEO of SEAI, highlighted the fact that high energy costs are a concern for many households, leading to increased interest in subsidies for energy upgrades. Irish Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment Darragh O’Brien pointed out that applications to SEAI for individual home energy upgrades have increased by 186% compared to the first quarter of last year.
“In the first quarter of the year, data show a very clear and positive upward trend, with indications of substantial growth in both demand and production,” the minister added. Since 2019, more than a quarter of a million home energy upgrades have been completed.
According to data from Solar Ireland, Ireland will have added a total of 1 GW of PV by 2025. The utility scale dominated, but residential and rooftop PV also showed strong resilience.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
