An Irish solar proposal has to reconcile three numbers that pull against each other: a low and diffuse solar resource, some of the highest residential electricity prices in Europe, and a grant that reduces the capital cost but comes with conditions. Get the balance right and the payback case is genuinely strong. Model it with defaults set for a sunnier, cheaper-electricity market and the number is wrong in both directions at once.
Direct answer. The best solar proposal software in Ireland for most installers is OpenSolar, which is free at the seat and handles Irish tariffs and grant deductions adequately, or SurgePV when the same license also has to produce the design and single-line diagram. No mainstream platform automates the SEAI grant workflow or the ESB Networks connection application.
TL;DR
- High Irish electricity prices, not sunshine, drive the payback. Model against the customer's actual tariff.
- The SEAI grant reduces capital cost and must be shown as a deduction with its conditions stated, not as a discount.
- Clean Export Guarantee rates are set by each supplier. A single assumed export rate is the biggest hidden variable in an Irish payback figure.
- Self-consumption carries the case. Export value is modest, so the proposal has to model when the household actually uses power.
- NC7 connection approval adds weeks above the microgeneration threshold. Put the timeline in the proposal.
What Ireland Actually Changes About Proposal Software
Electricity price is the whole argument. Irish residential electricity is expensive by European standards, which means every kilowatt-hour the household self-consumes is worth a lot. That is what makes Irish solar work despite a modest resource. A proposal modelled against an assumed European average tariff understates the case badly.
The grant is conditional, not automatic. The SEAI domestic solar PV grant reduces the capital cost, but eligibility depends on using a registered contractor, meeting the scheme’s technical conditions, and completing the documentation. Presenting it as an unconditional discount on the quote creates a problem if the claim later fails. Show it as a deduction with the conditions named.
Export is supplier-set under the Clean Export Guarantee. Suppliers must offer an export payment, but the rate varies between them, and some of the better rates are tied to taking an import tariff from the same supplier. Quoting one rate for every customer is guessing at a major variable.
Self-consumption beats export. Because import prices are high and export rates are modest, the value of an Irish system sits in displacing imported units. That makes the household load profile the most important input in the model, ahead of the array size.
Connection timeline. The ESB Networks NC6 route is connect-and-notify for small installations. Above the microgeneration threshold, NC7 requires prior approval and adds weeks to the delivery date. Customers should learn this from the proposal, not from a delay.
The Platforms Ranked for Ireland
| Platform | Best for | Irish tariff handling | Grant deduction | Design output | Price per seat per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSolar | Most Irish domestic installers | Good | Configurable | Basic | $0 plus transaction fees |
| SurgePV | Proposal plus full design and SLD | Yes | Configurable | Full, with DWG | $1,299 to $1,899 |
| Easy PV | UK and Ireland domestic workflow | Good | Configurable | Moderate | Subscription |
| Aurora Solar | Larger commercial-facing teams | Configurable | Configurable | Good | $1,908 to $3,108 |
| Pylon | Value-tier domestic | Partial | Configurable | Basic | ~$1,000 |
| PVsyst | Commercial and funded projects | Not a proposal tool | No | Yield only | ~$500 |
| Spreadsheet plus PDF | Very low volume | Manual | Manual | Manual | Time |
OpenSolar is the pragmatic default. Free at the seat, competent tariff handling, and a credible customer-facing document. The crossover where the transaction model costs more than a flat license is covered in OpenSolar pricing.
SurgePV is the pick when the proposal is half the job and the other half is the layout, string design, single-line diagram, and DWG export. Full technical comparison in best solar design software in Ireland.
Aurora Solar is capable and expensive, with strengths tuned to a US residential market. See Aurora Solar pricing and Aurora Solar alternatives.
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What an Irish Proposal Has to Contain
- System specification with module and inverter make, model, count, and total capacity.
- Annual generation estimate with the weather data source named and the diffuse modelling basis stated.
- Monthly production profile, because Irish seasonality is pronounced and an annual figure hides it.
- Self-consumption estimate against the customer’s actual usage pattern.
- Import tariff named, with the current and post-solar bill modelled against it.
- Clean Export Guarantee rate with the supplier named, and ideally a second scenario.
- SEAI grant shown as a deduction with the eligibility conditions stated plainly.
- Connection route, NC6 or NC7, with the approval timeline if NC7 applies.
- Assumptions for electricity price inflation and panel degradation.
Pricing in Euro
| Stack | USD per year | Approx. EUR at 0.92 | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSolar | $0 plus fees | Transaction-linked | Proposal and basic design |
| Pylon | ~$1,000 | ~€920 | Proposal |
| SurgePV | $1,299 to $1,899 | ~€1,195 to €1,747 | Proposal plus full design and SLD |
| Aurora | $1,908 to $3,108 | ~€1,755 to €2,859 | Proposal plus design |
Exchange rate is illustrative. Ask about euro invoicing.
What Most Irish Installers Get Wrong
They present the SEAI grant as a discount on their own price.
It is not. It is a scheme payment with conditions attached, and if the claim fails the customer is left owing the difference to the installer. The correct presentation shows the full system price, then the grant as a separately labelled deduction with the eligibility conditions stated. Installers who do this have fewer disputes and, in practice, no lower close rate, because the customer was going to find out anyway.
The second mistake is quoting the market-leading export rate to every customer. Clean Export Guarantee rates differ by supplier, and the best rates often require switching import supplier too. Model the customer’s current supplier and a switch scenario, and label both.
When Proposal Software Is Not the Constraint
If commercial enquiries sit unquoted because nobody can produce a rooftop layout, a shading study, and a compliant single-line diagram, the constraint is engineering capacity.
Our solar rooftop detailed engineering design and solar 3D pre-design services cover exactly that, with sales-stage 3D and shading turned around in 48 hours. See the sample design pack or talk to our team.
Conclusion
- Model against the customer’s actual tariff. High Irish import prices are the payback argument, and an assumed average understates it.
- Show the grant as a conditional deduction. Presenting it as a discount transfers a risk you do not want.
- Quote two export scenarios. Clean Export Guarantee rates are supplier-set and the spread is the biggest hidden variable in the payback.
In this country series: solar software in Ireland, best solar design software in Ireland, shading analysis software in Ireland, Aurora Solar review. Tool deep dives: Opensolar review, Pvsol review.
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Disclosure and accuracy note
Commercial relationship. Heaven Designs and SurgePV are part of the same group. Treat our recommendation of SurgePV as a vendor making its own case, not an independent verdict. We have tried to describe every other product fairly, and to say plainly where a competitor is the better choice.
Pricing. All prices are indicative, compiled from public sources when this page was written. They vary by tier, region, contract term and exchange rate, and change without notice. Several vendors quote rather than publish, and some price in currencies other than the US dollar, so a converted figure moves with the exchange rate. Confirm current pricing with the vendor before you decide anything.
Trademarks and corrections. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners, and are used here for identification and comparison only. Their use does not imply affiliation with or endorsement by those companies. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
FAQ
What is the best solar proposal software in Ireland? OpenSolar for most domestic installers on cost and adequate Irish tariff handling, and SurgePV when the same license also has to produce the design and single-line diagram.
Does proposal software handle the SEAI grant automatically? No. Grant amounts can be entered as a deduction, but eligibility, contractor registration, and the documentation trail are a separate workflow outside every mainstream platform.
How should the Clean Export Guarantee be modelled? With the specific supplier’s rate named, and ideally two scenarios, because rates vary between suppliers and some of the better ones require taking an import tariff from the same supplier.
Why does Irish solar pay back despite low sunshine? Because Irish residential electricity is expensive. The value is in displacing imported units, not in generating a large number of them.
How much does solar proposal software cost in Ireland? From €0 with OpenSolar’s transaction model to roughly €2,900 per user per year at Aurora’s higher tiers. Cross-platform math is in our solar design software pricing breakdown.
Does the proposal need to mention the connection route? Yes. Above the microgeneration threshold, ESB Networks NC7 approval is required before connection and adds weeks. That belongs in the customer’s expectations from the start.
What about the design software decision separately? Covered in best solar design software in Ireland.
