Pinergy pays 18.5c per kWh (ex VAT) for surplus solar electricity exported to the grid, after cutting the rate from 25c on 1 August 2026. That ended a two-year run as Ireland's best open standard rate. It now sits level with Bord Gáis Energy, Energia and Flogas, below Electric Ireland and SSE Airtricity (both 19.5c), and above PrePayPower (15.89c) and Yuno Energy (17.16c). Pinergy also credits export payments monthly, where most suppliers pay quarterly or twice a year. The catch is the usual one: to be paid Pinergy's rate you have to buy your electricity from Pinergy too. The rate applies to Pinergy electricity customers with a registered microgeneration device and a smart meter, and it lands as a credit on your account.
- Export rate: 18.5c per kWh ex VAT, cut from 25c on 1 August 2026
- Who qualifies: Pinergy electricity customers with a registered microgeneration device (solar PV, micro-wind, micro-hydro or micro-CHP) up to 6 kVA for domestic microgen
- Smart meter: Required for full metered export. ESB Networks should fit one within four months of registration; deemed export applies if a smart meter cannot yet be installed
- How paid: Credit on your Pinergy app or bill, generally every month
- Rate changes: Pinergy gives 30 days' notice before the rate changes
- Tax: First €400/year of export income is exempt from income tax until 31 December 2028
Pinergy's 18.5c Export Rate, and the Monthly Payment
Until 1 August 2026 the headline number was the reason to be here: at 25c per kWh, Pinergy paid the highest standard rate any homeowner could switch in and access. That rate is now 18.5c, and the distinguishing feature is no longer the amount but the frequency. Pinergy still credits export payments monthly, where every other Irish supplier pays quarterly, every two months or twice a year. Like the old rate, it is not tied to using a particular installer: any Pinergy electricity customer with solar and a smart meter can register for it.
The second is how often you are paid. Pinergy credits export payments monthly, appearing on your app or bill, where Bord Gáis Energy and SSE Airtricity pay quarterly, Flogas pays every two months, and Yuno and PrePayPower pay just twice a year. The money is the same over a full year, but a monthly credit smooths it out and lets you see your export earning land while the summer sun is doing the work.
The rate is variable. Pinergy commits to giving 30 days' notice before any change, and because your export supplier does not have to be the same company that physically connects you to the grid, you can register your Clean Export Guarantee with another supplier if Pinergy's rate ever drops below what suits you.
How Pinergy's Rate Compares
On openly-available standard rates, Pinergy now sits mid-table, level with Bord Gáis Energy, Energia and Flogas and a cent behind the joint-best 19.5c paid by Electric Ireland and SSE Airtricity. Only one rate in the country beats those: SSE Airtricity's Activ8 premium, 32c in Year 1 and 27c in Year 2, limited to qualifying Activ8 install customers for a two-year term.
| Supplier | CEG Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SSE Airtricity (Activ8 premium) | 32c Y1 / 27c Y2 | Restricted — must install through a qualifying Activ8 partner; two-year term, then reverts to the standard rate |
| SSE Airtricity / Electric Ireland | 19.5c/kWh | Joint best open standard rate; level on the same figure |
| Pinergy | 18.5c/kWh | Cut from 25c on 1 August 2026; no installer restriction; still the only monthly payer |
| Bord Gáis Energy / Energia / Flogas | 18.5c/kWh | Three suppliers level on the same rate |
| Yuno Energy | 17.16c/kWh | Raised from 15.89c in July 2026 |
| PrePayPower | 15.89c/kWh | Lowest open standard rate tracked; quoted including VAT |
Rates as of 12 September 2026 from supplier pages and published trackers. Rates are variable and subject to change; check supplier websites before switching. Full comparison: CEG rates in Ireland.
On a typical 4 kWp system that exports around 1,500 kWh per year, Pinergy's 18.5c rate earns roughly €278 per year. The same export on Electric Ireland or SSE Airtricity's 19.5c earns about €293, on Yuno Energy's 17.16c about €257, and on PrePayPower's 15.89c about €238. The spread across the standard market is now about €55 a year, where Pinergy's old 25c rate was worth €100 to €137 more than its rivals. With the rates bunched this tightly, the export number is no longer a good reason on its own to pick a supplier. Judge the whole plan: import unit rate, standing charge and export rate together.
Pinergy Solar: Supplier and Installer
Pinergy is unusual in that it is both an electricity supplier and an SEAI-registered solar installer. Through Pinergy Solar it carries out the full job — site survey, panel and inverter installation, and optional battery storage — and its installation arm is Safe Electric registered, the scheme that regulates electrical contractors in Ireland. That means you can, if you want, have the same company install your panels, register your microgeneration, and pay your export credits.
You are not obliged to. The 18.5c export rate is open to any Pinergy electricity customer regardless of who installed the system, so existing solar owners can switch their electricity account to Pinergy and access the same rate. If you are starting from scratch, it is worth getting more than one installer quote rather than defaulting to your energy supplier — the SEAI solar PV grant is the same whoever fits the panels, and comparing installers on price and system design usually saves more than any single supplier's export rate.
Who Qualifies for Pinergy's Microgeneration Payment
Pinergy can only pay its export rate to its own electricity customers. If you export to the grid but import from Electric Ireland, Energia or anyone else, you register for the Clean Export Guarantee with that supplier instead. Pinergy is the supplier; ESB Networks runs the physical grid and the metering — two separate organisations, even though both touch your export payment.
Beyond being a Pinergy electricity customer, you need:
- A registered microgeneration device — solar PV, micro-wind, micro-hydro or micro-CHP, up to 6 kVA for the domestic microgen category. Most homeowners have solar PV
- An NC6 form submitted to ESB Networks, normally done by your installer at the time of installation, so your system is registered in the Central Market Systems
- A smart meter where technically possible. ESB Networks should fit one within four months of you registering; if it does not, you are entitled to deemed export payments from the end of that four-month window until the meter is in
How and When Pinergy Pays You
Once your NC6 form is processed and your smart meter is installed, ESB Networks passes your export readings to Pinergy. You do not trigger this manually — registration flows through from the NC6. From there, a credit at 18.5c per kWh is applied to your account for the units you exported.
A few practical details:
- Monthly credit: Pinergy applies the export payment as a credit on your app or bill, generally every month. Because it relies on ESB Networks readings, the figure on your app can run slightly ahead of your bill and is reconciled the following month
- Viewing your export: You can check exported units through the Pinergy app and your ESB Networks online account, which holds the half-hourly export data your supplier is billed from
- Variable rate, 30 days' notice: The rate can change, as the August 2026 cut from 25c to 18.5c showed, but Pinergy must give 30 days' notice first. If it drops, you can register your CEG with another supplier without moving your import account
- Switching: You can change electricity supplier at any time; your new supplier must also offer a CEG rate, so compare export rates as part of any switch
Tax on Pinergy Export Income
Microgeneration export income is taxable in Ireland, but the first €400 per year is exempt under a Revenue disregard that runs until 31 December 2028. On Pinergy's 18.5c rate, a typical 3–5 kWp system exporting 1,000–1,500 kWh a year earns roughly €185–€278, comfortably inside the threshold, so no tax is due and there is nothing to declare for it.
A larger system, or one with a big battery and high summer surplus, can still clear €400; at 18.5c that takes about 2,160 kWh of exports in a year. Income above €400 is declared on your annual tax return and taxed at your marginal rate, with USC and PRSI potentially applying to the excess. The exemption is per individual, not per device. For the full breakdown, see our guide to tax on solar export income in Ireland.
How to Start Receiving CEG Payments from Pinergy
If you are already a Pinergy electricity customer with solar panels and a registered NC6 form, you may already be set up — check recent statements for a microgeneration or export credit line. If you have panels but no credit has appeared after a billing period, contact Pinergy to confirm your microgeneration registration is active.
If you are planning a new solar installation:
- Choose an SEAI-registered installer. They submit the NC6 form to ESB Networks as part of the job
- ESB Networks processes the form and arranges a smart meter where needed
- Register your microgeneration with your chosen electricity supplier (you will need your MPRN and NC6 confirmation), and credits begin once export data flows through
- Apply for the SEAI solar PV grant through your installer at the same time — it is separate from, and stacks with, your export payments
We connect you with SEAI-registered solar installers in your area. They handle the NC6 form, the grant paperwork, and the smart meter registration — so export payments begin as quickly as possible. Free, no obligation.
Get Free Solar Quotes →Frequently Asked Questions
Pinergy pays 18.5c per kWh (ex VAT) for surplus solar electricity exported to the grid, having cut the rate from 25c on 1 August 2026. It is credited monthly, which is more frequent than any other Irish supplier, and Pinergy gives 30 days' notice before the rate changes.
No. It was until 1 August 2026, when the rate fell from 25c to 18.5c. The best standard rate open to any solar home is now 19.5c, paid by Electric Ireland and SSE Airtricity, and Pinergy sits level with Bord Gáis Energy, Energia and Flogas. SSE Airtricity's Activ8 premium pays more again but is limited to qualifying Activ8 install customers. What Pinergy still leads on is payment frequency: monthly, against quarterly or twice-yearly elsewhere.
Pinergy credits export payments monthly, shown on your app or bill. That is more frequent than most suppliers — Bord Gáis Energy and SSE Airtricity pay quarterly, Flogas every two months, and Yuno and PrePayPower twice a year. Because payments rely on ESB Networks readings, the app figure can run slightly ahead of the bill and is reconciled the following month.
For a typical 4 kWp system exporting roughly 1,500 kWh a year, Pinergy's 18.5c rate works out at about €278 per year, around €15 less than a 19.5c supplier and about €40 more than a 15.89c one. A smaller 3 kWp system exporting about 1,000 kWh would earn roughly €185. Both sit within the €400 tax-free threshold.
Yes. Pinergy is both an electricity supplier and an SEAI-registered solar installer, carrying out the full job through Pinergy Solar — site survey, panels, inverter and optional battery — and registered with Safe Electric. You are not obliged to use it, though: the 18.5c export rate is open to any Pinergy electricity customer regardless of who installed the system, so it is worth comparing installer quotes before deciding.
Yes. Pinergy can only pay its export rate to its own electricity customers, so you need to import your electricity from Pinergy as well as export to it. If your import supplier is someone else, you register for the Clean Export Guarantee with that supplier instead. Compare the whole plan — import rate, standing charge and export rate — not just the headline export number.
The first €400 of microgeneration export income per year is exempt from income tax until 31 December 2028. On a typical home system almost all homeowners earn less than this on Pinergy's 18.5c rate, so no tax is due. Income above €400 is taxable at your marginal rate and must be declared on your annual return. See our solar export income tax guide.
Sources: Pinergy — Clean Export Guarantee / MicroGen (18.5c per kWh ex VAT domestic export rate effective 1 August 2026, monthly credit, 30 days' notice, 6 kVA microgen category, smart-meter and deemed-export rules); Pinergy — Solar Residential (Pinergy Solar installation, SEAI-registered and Safe Electric registered); SolarQuotes Ireland — CEG Rate Comparison and Switcher.ie feed-in tariff table (competitor standard rates as of May–June 2026); Revenue.ie — Exemption of certain profits from microgeneration of electricity (€400 tax disregard to 31 December 2028). Rates verified against supplier pages on 12 September 2026; Pinergy's own Clean Export Guarantee page states the change from 25c to 18.5c ex VAT from 1 August 2026.
Published: 19 June 2026. Author: Neil Russell.