EnergyCloud Ireland launches new initiative with Fingal County Council to provide free hot water to homes using surplus renewable energy
Fingal County Council has become the first local authority in Ireland to partner with EnergyCloud to provide free hot water to homes using surplus renewable energy.
The pilot project with Fingal County Council’s Housing Department is supported by SSE Airtricity and will see homes in Swords equipped to benefit from free hot water via EnergyCloud with the installation of an EnergyCloud smart device. Once installed, the devices will use surplus renewable energy, which would otherwise be wasted, to heat immersion tanks. The installation programme commenced last week and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD has met with a family who are now part of the EnergyCloud project.
Speaking at the launch in Swords, Co. Dublin, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD said: “I am delighted to be able to officially launch this exciting initiative between EnergyCloud, Fingal County Council and SSE Airtricity. Earlier I got to meet with a family who are now part of the EnergyCloud project, and they are excited to be able to benefit from this partnership between Fingal County Council and EnergyCloud. What is clear to me is that EnergyCloud is a win-win-win. It is good for families in helping to address energy costs. It helps reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels by using renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted. And it helps Fingal County Council in managing their housing stock and with their ambitious retrofitting objectives.”
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD continued: “SSE Airtricity has worked with EnergyCloud since it’s inception and is an example of the type of partnership approach that is required if we are to help tackle energy poverty and meet our climate targets. The Government’s Climate Action Plan specifically calls for the introduction of measures such as EnergyCloud to use surplus renewable energy to help tackle energy poverty. As Minister, I am acutely aware of the challenges posed by energy poverty and that is why creative solutions and initiatives such as EnergyCloud are needed. The EnergyCloud Ireland project is a great example of creating a positive social and environmental impact through collaboration between social enterprise, business, state agencies, local and national government.”
Robert Burns, Director for Housing and Community Development with Fingal County Council said: “Along with Minister Darragh O’Brien, SSE Airtricity and others we visited the first installation with EnergyCloud in Swords today and we are looking forward to assessing the results of this pilot programme. Our hope is that it will help reduce the energy bills for tenants by utilising otherwise wasted zero carbon renewable energy. We have already seen that it is a simple one hour retrofit of our existing Council homes and there is no cost to the resident and no cost to the local authority to participate in this project with EnergyCloud. We will be looking to see if it is scalable and if it will compliment the ambitious retrofit programme that we are already rolling out.”
Stuart Hobbs, Director of Energy Services, SSE Airtricity said: “SSE Airtricity has been involved with EnergyCloud since its foundation, recognising the vital role it plays in supporting fuel poor households across Ireland. We recently donated €2.5 million to support EnergyCloud in rolling out its supports to more homes across Ireland and we’re delighted to see that rollout commence today, with Fingal County Council becoming the first local authority to take part.”
“EnergyCloud is designed to complement the work of Government and other state agencies in meeting the ambitious targets set out in the Climate Action Plan; and allows us to put communities at the heart of our collective goal of decarbonisation.”
Gabriel D’Arcy, Chairperson of EnergyCloud Ireland said: “As a team, EnergyCloud in Ireland has a key role to play in helping to support the decarbonisation of our society, while also helping to tackle energy poverty. The support received from SSE Airtricity has made all this possible and as Chairperson of EnergyCloud Ireland I am thrilled to see the start of the installation programme with Fingal County Council, who have become the first local authority in Ireland to join the EnergyCloud project. This is an important milestone for the organisation in Ireland as we seek to fulfil the mission of EnergyCloud and use surplus renewable energy to help tackle energy poverty.”
At the event, Minister Darragh O’Brien was joined by representatives from ESB, EirGrid, ESB Networks, The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), The Irish Council for Social Housing, the Local Government Management Association, County and City Management Association (CCMA), EnergyCloud Ireland and a range of state and other agencies.
About:
EnergyCloud Ireland is a not-for-profit company focused on using the wasted 1,448 GWh (with a retail value in excess of €300m approx. and increasing) of renewable energy and distributing to ‘fuel poor’ households.
The recent report from the ESRI, ‘Energy poverty and deprivation in Ireland’, highlights the over 550,000 households (and increasing) in energy poverty while clearly illustrating the scale of the problem and the need for creative solutions to address the crisis.
EnergyCloud Ireland was established to use the surplus renewable energy, which would otherwise be wasted, to help tackle fuel poverty. It is also fully aligned with the Climate Action Plan to deliver 80% of Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
SSE Airtricity is one of the largest generators and suppliers of green energy in Ireland, proudly providing 100% green electricity, natural gas and energy-related services for home and business customers. Since 2008 SSE has invested significantly in Ireland, with a total economic contribution of more than €3.8bn to the economy. SSE owns and operates 28 onshore wind farms totaling 890MW across the island of Ireland, offsetting over 700,000 tonnes in carbon emissions annually.
Founded over 25 years ago, SSE Airtricity is certified by Business in the Community Ireland to the Business Working Responsibly Mark, the ‘gold standard’ for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Ireland and proudly provides over €1.5m annually in community funds, bringing the total community investment to over €10m so far. The company has approx. 1,000 employees on the island of Ireland and is a certified Living Wage employer.