Action Renewables and EnergyCloud Northern Ireland sign MOU to use excess renewable energy to tackle fuel poverty

Every year, vast amounts of renewable energy generated in Northern Ireland go unused because it cannot be absorbed by the grid. This wasted clean energy represents both a challenge and an opportunity. If directed to families in fuel poverty, it could make a real difference to families struggling with the cost of living.

Action Renewables and EnergyCloud Northern Ireland have announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together in tackling this challenge. The partnership will focus on redirecting excess renewable energy, such as excess wind power, into heating water in homes, providing households with free hot water while also reducing energy waste and cutting fuel poverty.

Terry Waugh, CEO of Action Renewables, said: “Far too often, valuable renewable energy is curtailed and lost when it could be used to improve people’s lives. This partnership with EnergyCloud is about making sure that clean energy works harder, both for the environment and for communities. By combining Action Renewables’ outreach and education work with EnergyCloud’s smart technology, we can help ensure that excess renewable energy isn’t wasted, but instead brings real, tangible benefits to households across Northern Ireland.”

Jamie Delargy, Chairperson of EnergyCloud Northern Ireland, said: “This agreement demonstrates how innovation and collaboration can turn a problem into a solution. EnergyCloud has developed a model that allows households to access free hot water powered by excess renewable energy. With Action Renewables as a partner, we can expand awareness, build stronger community links, and show how renewable energy can be part of the solution to fuel poverty. By working together, we aim to ensure that the transition to clean energy benefits everyone, not just those who can most easily afford it.”

Since 2022, SONI figures show that over 2,000 GWh of renewable wind energy has been dispatched down or unused. This is enough to heat 684 million tanks of hot water. The estimated retail value of this wasted energy is £623 million.

At the same time, fuel poverty continues to be a crisis in Northern Ireland. National Energy Action NI’s 2024 survey found that 40% of households were spending more than 10% of their income on energy. 27% of households had gone without heating or electricity at some point in the previous two years.