Ballina residents reap benefits of energy pilot scheme

A pilot scheme in Ballina is helping to bring households out of energy poverty by using wasted renewable energy to heat water tanks for free.

Almost 30 homes in the Cluain na Riagh estate in Ardnaree have been fitted with smart immersion controllers through the Energy Cloud initiative, which has already delivered more than 400 tanks of free hot water to residents.

Resident Grainne Sweeney signed up after receiving a letter about the pilot scheme. She said the device, which council engineers installed in around two hours, means her family has hot water ready each morning.

“I get a notification in the evening time to say that my water will be heated, and the next morning I have a full tank of hot water. I’m delighted,” she said. “The kids are up for school in the morning, they’ve access to hot water without me needing to turn on the immersion. It's a winner for me.

“I also got a voucher to say I got €5 off of my electricity, which was another bonus,” she added.

Another resident Ann O’Loughlin, who lives with her daughter Amiee, said the scheme has made their morning routine easier.

“You get a message to say your water will be heated overnight and when you get up in the morning you’ve hot water. With someone vulnerable in the house, it’s very helpful, it’s very efficient, and it saves a few pounds. It really helps with our morning routine,” she said.

Energy Cloud CEO Alan Wyley addressed the October meeting of Ballina Municipal District, where he outlined how the charity aims to tackle energy poverty through both policy changes and practical solutions that put waste renewable energy to use.

While the Ballina pilot focuses on providing free hot water, Mr Wyley said Energy Cloud also works with other partners to provide free home heating through smart storage heaters and heat pump controllers.

The charity now operates in 22 counties, with Mr Wyley saying some households it works with can’t afford to turn on their heating or heat their water.

“When they get their free tanks of hot water, it is often the only ones they get that month. They say to us ‘thank you because now I can wash myself, I can wash my kids, my home and my dishes’,” he said.

However, Mr Wyley said the government has yet to act on a commitment in the Programme for Government to use surplus renewable energy to help people experiencing energy poverty.

Speaking to the Western People in the Cluain Na Riagh estate, he said the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) was the first government agency to state that it is possible to eliminate energy poverty. He also pointed to a report published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in April, which found that 550,000 households, around 1.5 million people, could be brought out of energy poverty for €370 million a year.

“It's in the Programme for Government, but zero action has been taken yet. There was nothing in the Budget that will bring down energy bills.” 

Mr Wyley said the lack of measures in Budget 2027 was disappointing given the Government's pre-existing commitment, and said that the fact it is not being done is “clearly a government choice”.

“It is a policy choice. I suspect it's inertia that is winning out because to actually use waste to eliminate energy poverty is a new project, it's not a current priority,” he said.

He called on the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien to prioritise the issue.

“You need political leadership, and that comes down to Minister Darragh O’Brien. He should say ‘we want to tackle energy poverty, and we are serious about it, we are serious about tackling waste’,” he said.

Mr Wyley said an estimated €600m worth of wind energy would go to waste this year, up from €523m last year, with consumers paying for that waste through the electricity system’s imperfection charge. He warned that, without a change to current policy, Ireland could waste €3bn worth of wind energy over the lifetime of the current government while facing billions of euros in European Union fines for failing to meet its carbon targets by 2030. Mr Wyley stressed that would happen all the while 550,000 households remained in energy poverty.

“If [Energy Cloud] are here in 10 years, we’ve failed, and more importantly the Government has failed if there are still half a million homes in energy poverty in 10 years' time.

“If you look at the trajectory we are on, that’s exactly what’s going to happen unless the Government changes its policy,” he said. “This is a policy choice, they have chosen to leave the energy bill high, and they’ve chosen to spend the money in other areas.” 

It is hoped the scheme will be rolled out across Ballina and other parts of Mayo, helping more households while putting wasted renewable energy to use.

Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council Cllr John Caulfield welcomed the launch, saying the initiative demonstrated the “power of collaboration across sectors in addressing some of the most significant social and environmental challenges”.

“Through a collaborative approach, Energy Cloud is demonstrating how Ireland’s renewable energy sources can be used to address one of the country’s most pressing social issues,” he said.

Cathaoirleach of Ballina Municipal District Cllr Annie May Reape welcomed the town’s selection as the first location in Mayo to pilot the scheme.

“The pilot project has the potential to deliver real benefits to households, while highlighting the positive role that technology and renewable energy play in supporting our communities,” she said. “I look forward to seeing those benefits extend across Ballina, throughout Mayo and beyond.”

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.