One in 14 homes now powered by rooftop solar

One in every 14 homes in Westmeath now has rooftop solar panels installed, according to the latest figures compiled from Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant records.

A total of 2,491 households across the county have installed grant-aided solar PV systems to date. Uptake has accelerated rapidly across the county in recent years.

So far this year, 408 Westmeath households have added solar panels to their roofs. That figure is nearly double the 207 installations completed in 2022.

The findings come from an analysis of official grant data by price comparison website kilowatt.ie, whose founder Dominic Ó Gallachóir said: “Solar energy is helping households to put a huge dent in their electricity bills. And with the right electricity tariff, we even see some households who get a payment from their supplier rather than a bill.

“So it’s no surprise to see the boom in solar panel installations is continuing.”