Certain medically vulnerable people can have solar panels installed on their home free of charge with a special grant funding from the SEAI.

The SEAI Medically Vulnerable Solar PV System can fund the installation of up to 2kWp worth of solar panels on the homes of qualifying individuals.

The scheme is open to households where a qualifying individual is dependent on equipment including (but not limited to) life protecting devices, assistive technologies to support independent living and medical equipment, or particularly vulnerable to disconnection during winter months for reasons of advanced age or physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health.

The scheme covers the costs of:

• 400W Solar Panels x 5
• String Inverter x 1
• All Installation Costs

The scheme is funded by the SEAI and operated by the energy suppliers Bord Gáis, Energia, SSE Airtricity, and Electric Ireland.

In order to avail of this scheme a person must be on the priority services register as a vulnerable customer with one of those four energy suppliers.

The scheme began on a pilot basis in 2023, and later expanded to see solar panels installed on 137 homes of medically vulnerable people last year.

It has continued to expand with 83 installations carried out in the first two months of this year and more than 100 more in progress. 

It is expected that over 1,440 solar PV systems will be installed under this scheme by the end of 2025.

In order to qualify the property must have been built and occupied prior to 2021, and either the owner, a member of their household, or a tenant must be on the life support category of the Priority Services Register with their electricity supplier.