Solar panels in Northern Ireland: export payments, grid rules and grants

Solar panels work on different terms in Northern Ireland. The Smart Export Guarantee does not apply, so exported electricity is paid under a supplier's own tariff: Power NI paid 9.64p per kWh from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, and a new rate applies from 1 October 2026. nidirect says there is no government grant for homeowners' solar panels (checked 24 September 2026), but installed panels and batteries carry 0% VAT, and the planned Warm Healthy Homes Fund proposes to include them for low-income households from 2027. Electricity itself still carries 5% VAT in Northern Ireland, and Power NI's standard unit rate is higher than the GB cap, so on that tariff each kWh you generate and use at home is worth more than it would be in Great Britain.

Northern Ireland compared with Great Britain

How you are paid for exported electricity

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) covers installations in Great Britain only, so Northern Ireland suppliers are not obliged to buy your spare electricity. Power NI does, under its own microgeneration tariff:

• Who: owners of renewable generators under 50 kW, which covers home solar panels.
• Rate: 9.64p per kWh exported from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. The Utility Regulator approves the rate each year, the tariff year starts on 1 October, and new rates are published towards the end of September. Check Power NI's tariff page for the rate from 1 October 2026.
• How it works: your installer may register you; if not, register with Power NI's renewables team yourself. You then submit a reading from the export meter that NIE Networks fits, once a year when asked. Most customers are paid in late October, straight into a bank account and separately from any electricity bill.

Of the other suppliers we checked, Budget Energy says on its site that it does not offer an export tariff and sends customers to Power NI. Click Energy offers power purchase agreements for renewable generators; it publishes no household rate, so ask it for terms and compare them with Power NI's.

Power NI pays on an annual reading from the NIE Networks export meter, not on half-hourly smart meter data. Before you choose a battery or a system size, check the current rate: every 1p change in the export rate is worth about £30 a year to the household in our example below.

Connecting to the grid: NIE Networks and G98/NI

NIE Networks runs the electricity network in Northern Ireland. It connects your system but does not buy your electricity. Which rules apply depends on how much your system can export, set by the inverter rather than by the number of panels:

• G98/NI applies if the system exports no more than 3.68 kW on a single phase, or under 11.04 kW on three phases (under 16 amps per phase). This is "fit and inform": your installer fits and commissions the system, then has 30 days to send the commissioning documents to NIE Networks. There is no application fee for a single installation.
• G98/NI Stage 2 is for more than one installation at the same site. Your installer applies first, and NIE Networks studies the local network. If it needs reinforcement, you get a cost estimate and can go ahead, change the design or withdraw; going ahead needs a 20% deposit and full payment before work starts.
• G99/NI applies to larger systems.

After it receives the commissioning documents, NIE Networks arranges an import/export meter if you don't already have one. Your installer usually registers the export tariff for you; check that it has been done.

VAT: 0% on installation, 5% on electricity

Installing panels and batteries. The zero rate for energy-saving materials has applied in Northern Ireland since 1 May 2023, when it replaced the 5% rate. It covers panels and batteries supplied and fitted by an installer in your home until 31 March 2027; from 1 April 2027 the rate is due to return to 5% unless the relief is extended. Panels bought without installation, including kits, are charged at the standard rate of 20%.

Buying electricity. From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, household electricity in Great Britain has 0% VAT. In Northern Ireland it stays at 5%. On 24 September 2026, Power NI's standard unit rate was 32.52p per kWh before VAT and 34.15p with it (32.52p × 1.05). Its online and direct debit discounts lower that rate, up to a cap of £60 a year.

That makes self-use valuable. Each kWh your panels supply to your home saves 34.15p on Power NI's standard tariff, while each kWh exported earned 9.64p in 2025–26, so using a kWh at home was worth about 3.5 times exporting it (34.15 ÷ 9.64). Running appliances in daylight, a solar diverter for hot water, or a battery all raise the share you use.

Grants for solar panels in Northern Ireland

nidirect, the Northern Ireland government's advice site, says: "There is no financial support available for homeowners who wish to generate their own electricity through domestic renewable technologies, such as solar panels." It points homeowners to the 0% VAT relief and to NI Energy Advice for independent advice.

Affordable Warmth Scheme. Introduced in 2014 for low-income owner-occupiers and private renters, and now run by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, it funds measures from insulation to heating and replacement windows.

Warm Healthy Homes Fund (planned). The Department for Communities plans this fund to replace Affordable Warmth, with a launch planned for 2027. Its consultation closed on 19 August 2026. The proposals include:

• solar panels and battery storage, where a technical assessment of the home supports them, after insulation, ventilation and draught-proofing are in place;
• eligibility for households getting Universal Credit (the personal allowance for three consecutive periods) or Pension Credit, or with a household income below a threshold based on the National Living Wage, proposed at £29,741.40 after tax and National Insurance; savings above £6,000 would count towards income;
• owner-occupied homes and some private rented homes, but not Housing Executive, social housing or housing association homes;
• a grant limit of £35,000 per home, or £45,000 for hard-to-treat homes;
• £150 million of investment over the fund's first five years.

These are proposals, not final rules. Until the fund opens, nidirect's position stands: there is no government financial support for homeowners' solar panels.

Warm Homes Loan Scheme. Unlike the SEG, this UK scheme reaches Northern Ireland homes too. Its loans are to come from approved private lenders, with a consumer launch planned from September 2026, but no approved lender had been named on 24 September 2026 (the government's lender page was last updated on 17 September). Our grants guide explains how it works.

How much solar panels produce in Northern Ireland

We ran the European Commission's PVGIS model for a south-facing roof at 35° with 14% system losses, using satellite data for 2005 to 2023:

Belfast produces about 10% less than London per kWp. Output is seasonal: a kWp in Belfast makes about 116 kWh in June and 26 kWh in December. These are long-term averages; shade and roof direction change them, so ask each installer for a written estimate for your roof.

Is it worth it? A worked example in Belfast

This is an illustration, not a quote. We used our calculator's engine with Northern Ireland prices; the online calculator itself covers only Great Britain. The household uses 2,500 kWh a year and is out for half the day, the pattern MCS uses when a routine is unknown. The system is 4 kWp on a south-facing roof at 35° in Belfast.

With an assumed installed price of £7,100, payback is about 13.9 years at today's prices, or 13.2 years if the electricity price rises 2% a year. Payback adds up each year's value, with output falling 0.4% a year, until it covers the price.

The export rate matters less here than in Great Britain, because a larger share of the value comes from self-use. Our guide to whether solar panels are worth it explains the other factors, using GB prices.

Planning permission in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's own permitted development order lets you fit panels to the roof of a house without planning permission if no part rises above the ridge, sits more than 1.5 metres above a flat roof or extends beyond the roof's edge, and, on a slope that faces and can be seen from a road, no part sticks out more than 20 cm; in a conservation area or World Heritage Site, roof slopes and walls that face and can be seen from a road are ruled out, and so are flat-roof panels visible from a road. Wall-mounted panels are also allowed: they must not extend beyond the wall, and within 3 metres of the boundary no part above 4 metres may stick out more than 20 cm; a listed building, or a home in its grounds, needs listed building consent first. Our planning permission guide covers garden arrays and how Northern Ireland's rules compare with the rest of the UK.

Before you choose an installer

Your Northern Ireland solar checklist

• Check the Power NI export rate for the year from 1 October 2026 before you size a system or add a battery.
• Ask your installer to confirm whether the system falls under G98/NI and to send the commissioning documents to NIE Networks within 30 days.
• Make sure the quote shows 0% VAT on supply and installation.
• Get a written estimate of what the system will generate on your roof, and compare two or three itemised prices; our cost guide lists what each should include.
• Check that the installer is MCS-certified and ask whether it belongs to RECC or HIES: those consumer codes protect you only if the firm is a member. For a contract signed at your home or online, the law normally lets you cancel until 14 days after the goods are delivered; our guide to choosing a solar installer explains your rights.
• Check planning if the panels would face a road in a conservation area, or if your home is listed.
• If your household has a low income, watch for the Warm Healthy Homes Fund, planned for 2027; its final rules are not yet set.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the Smart Export Guarantee in Northern Ireland?

No. The SEG applies only to installations in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, Power NI pays for exports under its own tariff for generators under 50 kW: 9.64p per kWh from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, with a new rate from 1 October 2026.

Are there grants for solar panels in Northern Ireland?

Not for homeowners when we checked on 24 September 2026. Installed panels and batteries carry 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. The planned Warm Healthy Homes Fund, due to launch in 2027, proposes solar panels and batteries for eligible low-income households where a home assessment supports them.

How much does Power NI pay for exported electricity?

9.64p per kWh for the tariff year 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. The Utility Regulator approves a new rate each year from 1 October, and Power NI pays once a year after you submit your export meter reading.

Do I need planning permission for solar panels in Northern Ireland?

Usually not for roof panels on a house, within limits: no more than 20 cm proud on a roof slope facing a road, and not above the ridge. Conservation areas and listed buildings have extra conditions.

Is solar worth it in Northern Ireland?

In our Belfast example, for a home using 2,500 kWh a year, a 4 kWp system has a first-year value of about £523 and pays back in about 13.9 years, at Power NI's 2025–26 export rate of 9.64p, its standard unit rate of 34.15p and an assumed £7,100 installed price. On Power NI's standard tariff each kWh you use at home is worth more than in Great Britain.

Does the Solar Report calculator work in Northern Ireland?

Not yet. It covers England, Scotland and Wales, because Northern Ireland has different prices and no Smart Export Guarantee. Use the figures on this page and your installer's performance estimate instead.