SEAI lets you claim grants two ways: one measure at a time yourself, or through a One Stop Shop that manages a whole-home upgrade. Neither is always better. It depends on how much you want to do and how much admin you want to handle.
You apply to SEAI yourself, use a registered installer, and the grant is paid to you after completion. Best if you are doing a single upgrade and are happy to manage the paperwork.
A single provider surveys your home, recommends a package, applies for all the grants, and deducts them from your bill. You pay only the balance. Best if you are doing several measures together.
Whole-home upgrades that reach a B2 rating can attract an additional bonus on top of the individual measures, which One Stop Shops are set up to target. This can make the managed route better value for a larger project.
With individual grants you pay the installer and are reimbursed. With a One Stop Shop the grant comes off upfront, so you need less cash in hand. The trade-off is that One Stop Shop pricing bundles project management into the cost.
Check your exact 2026 grant amounts, then get matched with vetted, SEAI-registered installers in your county.
One Stop Shop pricing includes surveying, project management and coordinating the grants, so the headline cost can look higher, but the grant is deducted upfront and larger projects can qualify for a deep-retrofit bonus. Get quotes both ways.
In practice you pick one route per project. You could do a single measure now with an individual grant and a larger managed upgrade later.
For solar PV on its own, the individual grant route is usually simplest, since it does not need a BER and the application is quick.