Which questions should you ask a solar lead before you book a survey?
By Smart Solar editorial teamUpdated 8 min read
Short answer
Confirm the SEAI grant conditions first: an MPRN, a home built and occupied before 2025, and no earlier solar grant on that MPRN. Then ask about roof, shade, electrics, ownership and timing, and check photos and maps before you drive out. A structured first call costs less than a survey that never becomes a job.
Key points
- Start with the SEAI grant conditions: an MPRN, a home built and occupied before 2025, and no earlier solar grant on the same MPRN.
- Grant approval must be in place before work starts, and works and paperwork must be complete within 8 months of approval.
- Ask about roof, shade, electrics and ownership in plain words, and use photos and satellite maps to check before you visit.
- Find out who decides and when they want it done. A customer who still needs someone else's agreement is not ready for a survey.
- When the grant does not apply, choose on purpose: say so plainly, offer another route, or book a dated follow-up.
Qualifying a solar lead means confirming, before you spend a site visit, that the customer can get the SEAI grant, that the house and roof are workable and that the person on the phone can decide. To find leads first, see where to buy solar leads in Ireland. For the wider picture, start with the solar installer guide.
What must be true for a customer to get the SEAI solar grant?
As of November 2026, SEAI sets five conditions on the home and the timing. They are yes-or-no facts, so they come first on the call, and if one fails you have saved everyone a visit.
- The home has an MPRN.
- The home was built and occupied before 2025.
- The MPRN has had no previous funding for solar PV.
- Work has not started, and grant approval will be in place before it does.
- The works and paperwork can be finished within 8 months of approval.
The amounts differ sharply for households on the enhanced grant.
| Grant | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Solar panels | €700 per kWp up to 2 kWp, then €200 per extra kWp up to 4 kWp | Cap of €1,800 |
| Battery (5 kWh or larger) | €600 | Combined cap of €2,400 with panels |
| Enhanced grant | €3,350 per kWp up to 2 kWp, then €850 per extra kWp up to 4 kWp | For recipients of certain welfare payments; cap of €8,400, or €9,000 with a battery |
| Dublin RASP | Up to €9,000 | Listed separately on the SEAI grant page |
Source: SEAI, solar electricity grant page and enhanced grants announcement of 29 September 2026 (measures opening from 6 October 2026), amounts as of November 2026.
A homeowner who receives one of the welfare payments SEAI lists may qualify for the enhanced grant. Eligibility is tied to the homeowner, so a payment received by another household member does not normally count; Carer's Allowance is the exception. Ask the question, then send the customer to the SEAI solar electricity grant page to check which payments count.
Do not quote a grant amount until you have confirmed the MPRN, the house age and the grant history. The figure means nothing before then.
Which questions should you ask on the first call?
Ask in this order: grant and house, roof, electrics, use, then ownership and money. The first group can end the call early and politely.
Use plain questions a customer can answer without technical knowledge:
- Grant and house: "Was the house built and lived in before 2025? Has anyone claimed a solar grant for it before? Is there any solar or battery on the roof already?"
- Roof: "What is the roof covered with? Does any part of it sit in shade from trees, neighbouring buildings or a chimney?"
- Electrics: "Is the supply single-phase or three-phase, if you know? Where is the consumer unit?"
- Use: "When is someone at home? Do you charge an electric car, or plan to?"
- Ownership and money: "Do you own the house outright or with a mortgage? Are you paying cash or looking at finance?"
Write each answer down in the customer's own words, such as "shade from the neighbour's tree after 3pm" rather than "some shading".
What can you check from photos and maps before a visit?
Satellite imagery and a few phone photos can rule out roofs that clearly will not work. They do not replace a survey.
On the map, look at the roof shape, the number of roof faces, which way each one points, obstructions such as chimneys, dormers and roof windows, and shade from trees or neighbouring buildings. Then ask the customer for photos: the front of the house, each roof face from the ground, the consumer unit with the door open and the electricity meter.
Who makes the decision, and when do they want it done?
Ask who else has to agree and when the customer wants the system working. A customer who still needs a partner's, a co-owner's or a lender's agreement is not ready for a survey, however keen they sound.
Useful questions are short:
- Who else will want to be at the survey?
- Have you spoken to other installers, and what are you comparing?
- Are you waiting for anything, such as a mortgage decision or a roof repair?
- Have you applied to SEAI yet?
If the customer wants a fixed date, explain that grant approval must be in place before work starts. How quickly you call matters as much as what you ask; see how fast to respond to solar leads in Ireland.
What do you do with leads that do not qualify for the grant?
Not qualifying for the grant is not the same as not being a customer. Choose on purpose: tell them plainly, offer something that does not depend on the grant, or book a dated follow-up.
- A house built in 2025 or later. It fails the solar and the battery conditions as of November 2026. Say so plainly, do not promise an exception, and point the customer to SEAI to confirm their own case.
- A property that has already had a solar grant on the same MPRN. It fails the solar condition. The battery grant has its own conditions, so send the customer to SEAI and see selling solar batteries in Ireland.
- A customer who might fit the enhanced grant. Send them to SEAI first, because the answer can change the whole conversation.
- A customer who is interested but not ready. Put them on a follow-up list with a date and a reason. Changes to the solar and battery grants were announced on 29 September 2026, so check the SEAI page again before you call back.
- A customer who is not a fit. Decline politely and record why.
For the selling side once a customer does qualify, see selling with the SEAI solar grant.
What do leads from Smart Solar already tell you?
Each lead carries contact details, the address with Eircode and county, annual electricity use, roof pitch, a roof and solar assessment from satellite data, a satellite image and the homeowner's wishes on battery and finance.
Smart Solar is a lead broker: we pass on solar PV enquiries from private homeowners to installers and install nothing ourselves. The homeowners asked for solar quotes through smart-solar.ie or a Facebook ad form, free and without obligation, and agreed that installers may contact them about quotes.
A lead is not sent if the name, email, phone number or address is missing or looks like nonsense, and we check the Eircode against the official register. If the phone number is invalid, the homeowner automatically gets a message with a link to correct it. Homeowners are told that the first installers will contact them within 1–2 business days. That is their expectation, not a delivery promise from us.
These checks cover contact details and the address only, so the grant conditions are yours to confirm on the call. Leads are not exclusive and can be shared with other installers, so the first conversation counts.
Checklist: a first-call script
Use the table as a running order, not a script to read aloud. End the call when a hard condition fails.
| Step | Ask | Listen for | If the answer is no |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | "You asked online about solar. Is now a good time?" | Whether they remember asking | Call back when they choose |
| 2. Grant basics | "Was the house built and lived in before 2025? Do you have your MPRN?" | A clear yes, and a number to note | Explain the SEAI conditions and stop |
| 3. Earlier grants | "Has a solar or battery grant been paid on this property before?" | Any earlier grant on the same MPRN | Do not promise a grant; point to SEAI |
| 4. Roof | "What is it covered with, and what shades it?" | Obstructions, several roof faces | Ask for photos first |
| 5. Electrics | "Single or three-phase? Where is the consumer unit?" | Whether they know | Add it to the survey notes |
| 6. Ownership | "Who else owns the house or has a say?" | Everyone who must agree | Do not book until they can attend |
| 7. Timing | "Have you applied to SEAI? When do you want it done?" | Timing that fits the approval rule | Explain that approval comes first |
| 8. Next step | "Shall we book a survey, or would photos first help?" | A specific date or action | Set a dated follow-up |
Source: SEAI, solar electricity grant page, conditions as of November 2026.
Typical mistakes when qualifying solar leads
- Booking with one decision-maker. If a partner or co-owner is missing, you may need a second visit to answer the same questions.
- Treating a satellite assessment as a design. It is a first look, not a layout.
- Leaving no notes. The surveyor then repeats the whole call at the door.
- Contacting people without checking the rules. Direct marketing by call, text or email is regulated by S.I. 336/2011 on top of GDPR; read the Data Protection Commission guidance and contacting leads legally.
Questions and answers
Do I need the customer's MPRN on the first call?
Ask whether they have it to hand, because the SEAI solar grant requires an MPRN and you cannot confirm eligibility without one. You do not need it to decide whether the call is worth continuing. The house age and the grant history answer that. If they cannot find it, ask them to send it by text.
Can a house built in 2025 get the SEAI solar grant?
Under the conditions SEAI lists as of November 2026, the home must have been built and occupied before 2025, so a newer house does not meet them. Tell the customer plainly, do not promise an exception, and point them to the SEAI page so they can confirm their own situation.
What if the customer has already had a solar grant?
SEAI lists no earlier solar grant on the same MPRN as a condition. That means you should not promise a second grant. Send the customer to the SEAI page to check what applies to their case, and be clear that you cannot decide it for them.
Should I quote the grant amount on the first call?
Mention that SEAI publishes the amounts and send the customer to its page, but confirm the conditions before you give any figure. The standard and enhanced grants differ a lot, and a number given too early becomes a promise that you then have to explain away.
Can I qualify a roof from photos and satellite maps alone?
You can rule out roofs that clearly will not work, such as heavily shaded or very cluttered ones, and prepare the survey. You cannot design a system from them. Tell the customer that the survey confirms the details, and record what you saw so the surveyor can check it.
Sources
- 1Solar electricity grant (solar PV)SEAI · seai.ie
- 2Minister O’Brien announces enhanced grants to help households and businesses reduce energy costs and move away from fossil fuelsSEAI · 29 September 2026 · seai.ie
- 3What rules apply to electronic direct marketing?Data Protection Commission · dataprotection.ie