Sir, – SSE Airtricity has announced a 24 per cent increase in the price of electricity to its customers to come into effect next month. Its marketing materials say it provides 100 per cent green energy through its portfolio of 28 wind farms and that it is Ireland’s largest generator and provider of green energy. Linking these two points, there needs to be a detailed explanation provided as to the 24 per cent increase in the price of this wind power. The Green Party tells us that a move to renewable energy sources is the best way to provide us with “secure and affordable energy” and that fossil fuel energy “further exposes us to increased energy insecurity and price rises”. We need to hear not only from SSE Airtricity but also from the Green Party to explain why the price of 100 per cent wind-sourced energy is to be increased by 24 per cent next month and what is the long-term trajectory for the price of renewable energy sources. – Yours, etc,
MARK MOHAN,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
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Sir, – Further home energy price increases are on the way, so I decided to seek to render my bills more affordable.
While I briefly considered taking on the challenge of changing provider, I got somewhat bogged down and my initial enthusiasm waned. However, it came to light that there are variously priced plans available from my own supplier, some smart and some obviously not so smart. Presumably, other providers similarly have a range of plans. Would it be beyond the thinking of the respective providers to get the bright sparks in their IT sections to come up with an algorithm that would look at each account holder’s energy consumption habits along with their spend, and calculate the optimal price, ie, the price that would have been charged had the customer themselves changed to the most beneficial plan? Customers using the same energy amount as before would thereby have a better deal having been saved the trauma of change. Such better deals have been well-advertised from time to time by some or all providers and universal uptake should have been planned for.
Even Myles na gCopaleen’s mad scientist didn’t come up with such an idea which, if implemented, would be of great benefit to the plain people of Ireland. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL KEEGAN,
Booterstown,
Co Dublin.