Almost 1,000 homes feeding electricity to national grid not getting paid

Almost 1,000 homes with solar panels feeding excess electricity into the national grid have not been remunerated under a Government-backed microgeneration scheme because of delays in rolling out smart meters.

Small-scale generators of power have been able to earn money for excess renewable electricity exported to the grid since last year but people waiting for smart meter installations cannot be paid.

Stephen Maher from Tallaght had solar panels installed last August. He was hoping to reduce the cost of his domestic energy and the carbon emissions produced by his home while earning money under the new scheme. However, he is on a waiting list for a smart meter and has not received payments from his supplier Electric Ireland.

“I was generating electricity for six months before they said I was not entitled to anything,” he said. “A system like mine could generate over €100 worth of excess electricity in a sunny month but I have been left waiting. It’s madness that people trying to do their bit are not getting what they should be getting. People invest their hard earned money into these systems are getting shafted again. It’s just kind of unfair.”

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People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy raised the issue with the Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan in a parliamentary question last month.

The Minister said ESB Networks had installed more that 1.3 million smart meters nationally with 10,500 smart meters being installed per week and microgeneration customers prioritised.

However, as of last month there were about 800 micro-generating customers waiting more than four months for a meter and not receiving money due under the Government’s scheme.

When contacted by The Irish Times, an Electric Ireland spokesman said the “vast majority Microgen customers have had their meter upgraded to a smart meter”.

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He said the provider would continue “to liaise with ESB Networks on their smart meter roll-out to ensure this cohort of customers are prioritised insofar as practical and scheduling considerations allow”.

He said in certain circumstances rebates could be applied to customer accounts.

A spokeswoman for the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities said that customers waiting more than the four-month period are being prioritised with additional resources being allocated to address this. “Our understanding is that this issue will be fully addressed and all installations brought back within the four-month timeline, within the next two to three months.”