CSO figures published this week confirm what most of us already know on the ground: electricians are the most in-demand trade in Ireland right now. Construction employment jumped 11.7% in the first quarter, the biggest rise of any sector in the economy, and qualified electricians are harder to find than at any point in the past year. Meanwhile, solar PV applications to SEAI have gone through the roof, 186% up year on year, creating a wave of certified installation work. This week we also cover the EU Building Directive deadline landing this Thursday and a practical look at upselling on domestic jobs.
📰 Industry News
Electricians Named Ireland's Most In-Demand Trade as Construction Employment Jumps 11.7%
CSO data published on 21 May 2026 shows construction sector employment rose 11.7% year on year in Q1 2026, the largest increase of any sector in the Irish economy. That translates to 20,500 more people working in construction compared to this time last year. Home completions are tracking toward 40,000 units for the full year 2026, the highest annual figure since before the financial crisis.
Electricians specifically: The CSO and industry bodies are naming electricians as one of the most in-demand trades nationally, with skills shortages particularly acute outside Dublin. Sub-contractor usage is up for the third consecutive month and availability of sub-contractors has fallen to its worst level since May 2025.
What it means for you: If you are a sole trader or small contractor, your leverage is stronger right now than it has been in years. Main contractors are struggling to fill their sub-contractor lists. If you have been sitting on a rate review, this is the market to do it in. If you have capacity, builders are looking. Pick up the phone to the site managers you know.
Solar PV Applications Up 186% — Certified Installers Already Booked 3 to 6 Months Out
Solar PV grant applications to SEAI hit 10,000 in Q1 2026 alone, a 186% jump year on year. That is more solar applications in one quarter than attic insulation, cavity wall and heat pump applications combined. SEAI's full-year target for home energy upgrades is 70,000 retrofits, and the trajectory is pointing well above it.
The installer opportunity: Quality certified solar PV installers are already booked 3 to 6 months out in most parts of the country. A Newstalk report from earlier this month flagged that by late 2026, waitlists could stretch to 6 to 12 months. If you are not yet SEAI-registered for solar PV installations, this is the clearest commercial signal you are going to get.
The electrical work attached to every solar job: Even if you are not doing the panel installation itself, every solar PV job requires a certified electrician for the DC isolator, the inverter connection to the consumer unit, any consumer unit upgrade needed to accommodate the new circuit, and the SEAI sign-off. A 186% jump in solar applications is a 186% jump in electrical certification work. It is already landing.
⚖️ Compliance Update
EU Building Directive Deadline: This Thursday 29 May
The deadline for Ireland to transpose the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive into national law is this Thursday, 29 May 2026. This is not an abstract European regulatory event. It has direct practical implications for electrical contractors working on commercial buildings, new builds and major renovations.
What changes from Thursday: Buildings covered by the directive must now comply with updated energy performance requirements. For electricians, the most relevant obligations are around electrical infrastructure that supports building energy performance: sub-metering and monitoring circuits in commercial buildings, LED lighting compliance in non-domestic buildings, infrastructure to support heat pump and solar-ready electrical connections, and smart-ready systems in new builds above a certain threshold.
For new build and commercial work: If you are tendering for commercial fit-outs or new residential developments, the specification is going to reference these requirements more explicitly from this week. Make sure you are familiar with what the updated EPBD requires of the electrical installation, particularly the energy monitoring and sub-metering provisions.
Practical step: The SEAI and RECI websites both have guidance. If you work regularly on commercial buildings or multi-unit developments, it is worth 30 minutes of reading this week.
🌿 Late May: Security Season and Long Evenings
Evenings are stretching past 9:30pm now and will stay there through June. The outdoor electrical season is at its peak, and there is a particular angle worth talking to every residential customer about this month: security lighting. Long evenings mean later nights outside, more foot traffic around properties, and homeowners who are more aware of what is and is not lit around their home.
Motion sensor lights. The most practical security conversation you can have with a domestic customer. A PIR floodlight or motion sensor head on the side passage, above the garage, covering the back gate. Every property has a dark corner. Most homeowners have been meaning to sort it for years. You are already on site. The marginal cost of adding a motion sensor light to whatever else you are doing is low. The customer satisfaction is high.
Shop Motion Sensor Lights online, trade pricing available, call 01 401 9907 for contractor rates.
LED floodlights. The standard security upgrade. Wide beam, low running cost, long life. Works alongside motion sensors or independently on a timer.
Wi-Fi time switches. For customers who want to automate their outdoor lighting without going full smart-home. Set it up on the phone, forget about it. Good add-on to any outdoor lighting job this month.
Shop Wi-Fi Time Switches online
🔦 Product Spotlight: Motion Sensor Lights
Motion Sensor Lights: The Security Conversation Every Domestic Job Needs
Motion sensor security lights are one of the most consistently underestimated products in the domestic electrical market. Homeowners want them. They just rarely think to ask for them unless prompted. That is your opportunity on every single domestic job.
The conversation takes thirty seconds. You are already at the house. You finish the job you were called for and you say: "Have you thought about getting a sensor light on that side passage?" The answer is almost always yes, they have been thinking about it. You have materials in the van. The job is done in an hour. The customer is delighted.
Motion sensor lights have a specific appeal right now: energy costs are the highest in the EU and homeowners are acutely aware of what is running and when. A PIR sensor that only fires when triggered, combined with an LED head, is a very easy sell as a low-running-cost security upgrade.
Shop Motion Sensor Lights at Shamrock Electrical
Full range of PIR floodlights, wall-mounted sensor heads and combined sensor flood units available online and in-store at Greenogue.
Trade pricing available on everything. Website prices are retail. Electricians and contractors always get better trade pricing when they contact us directly.
Call 01 401 9907 or email sales@shamrockelectrical.ie
Open a Trade Account and Get 10% Off Your First Order
Cable, trunking, conduit, consumer units, MCBs, RCDs, RCBOs and all switchgear are available in-store at Greenogue. Call or email for stock and trade pricing.
💡 Contractor Tip of the Week
Upselling on Domestic Jobs: Five Steps to More Revenue on Every Call-Out
Most electricians leave money on the table on domestic jobs. Not because they are doing bad work, but because they finish the job they were called for, pack up and leave without mentioning the three other things they noticed while they were there. This tip is about fixing that habit.
Step 1: Do a quick visual sweep before you start. Before you touch a thing, spend two minutes walking around the property with the homeowner. Note what is old, what is missing, what looks like it should have been done years ago. You are not committing to anything. You are just looking. What you see in those two minutes is your upsell list for the end of the job.
Step 2: Finish the job first. Always complete what you were called for before mentioning anything else. Never try to upsell before the original work is done. The customer is relaxed and satisfied when the job is complete. That is the moment to have the conversation.
Step 3: Frame it as information, not a sales pitch. Do not say "I could do this for you." Say "While I was here I noticed the sensor light on the back is gone — that is a quick job if you want it sorted while I am here." You are giving them information. They make the decision. This approach has far higher acceptance than a direct pitch.
Step 4: Keep it to one or two things maximum. If you list six things that need doing, you overwhelm the customer and they agree to nothing. Pick the one or two most obvious, most useful items and mention those only. Less is more.
Step 5: Have a standard close ready. Something like: "It would take me about an hour, I have everything with me. Do you want me to do it while I am here?" This is natural, low-pressure and works. Half the time the answer is yes.
📅 Dates to Know: May and June 2026
- 29 May (this Thursday): EU Building Directive transposition. New energy performance obligations for buildings come into effect. Relevant for commercial and multi-unit work you are pricing now.
- June Bank Holiday weekend: Shamrock Electrical opening hours. Friday 30 May: normal hours. Saturday 31 May: closed. Sunday 1 June: closed. Monday 2 June: closed. We reopen Tuesday 3 June at normal hours. If you need to order materials before the long weekend, get your order in by Friday.
- 1 June: PrepayPower electricity price rise. 8.8% rise takes effect. Energy costs remain the highest in the EU. Every lighting upgrade conversation you have with a homeowner this week is timely.
- Now: Solar PV pipeline. If you are SEAI-registered for solar PV or thinking about getting registered, the demand is there. 10,000 applications in Q1 alone and quality installers are already sold out months ahead.
A strong week for contractors on every front. The jobs are there, the demand for skilled electricians is at its highest in years, and the outdoor season is delivering residential work. The solar pipeline alone is going to keep quality contractors busy well into next year. Use the position you are in.
The Shamrock Electrical Team
Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin
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About Shamrock Electrical Supplies
Shamrock Electrical Supplies is an electrical wholesaler and retailer based in Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. We supply professional electrical contractors and homeowners across Ireland.
Contractors who open a trade account get competitive trade pricing, reliable stock availability, and a team that knows what they are talking about.
Find Us
Shamrock Electrical Supplies
Unit 22, Block 613, Jordanstown Road
Greenogue Business Park
Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, D24 TX98
Opening Hours
Monday to Thursday: 7am to 5:30pm
Friday: 7am to 5pm
Saturday: 9am to 1:30pm
Sunday: Closed
Get in Touch
📞 01 401 9907
✉️ sales@shamrockelectrical.ie
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