The Solar PV for the Medically Vulnerable Scheme is a targeted scheme for the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for customers/households who are registered on the life support category of the Priority Services Register. These homes have a dependence on electrically powered equipment, including medical equipment, life protecting devices and assistive technologies for example dialysis machines or respirators. As such, these households may have a higher energy demand than the average user and this scheme is designed to go some way towards helping to reduce those energy costs.
The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in conjunction with Energy Suppliers, with each Energy Supplier contacting their own eligible customers directly in line with the work plans for their Solar PV Installers. Eligible households can avail of a fully funded 2kWp solar PV system including survey/design, supply, installation, and the post works BER. It is important to note that suppliers, who manage the administrative aspects of the scheme under SEAI, issue offers to eligible homeowners in batches.
Energy Suppliers maintain their own records of eligible households and share this information with ESBN. Recently, Electric Ireland, the largest supplier, updated SEAI that their current records show just over 8,000 eligible households.
Each participating supplier received an allocated amount of funding under their Memorandum of Understanding and contact eligible households in batches, based on operational capacity. Electric Ireland, given its large customer base, prioritised households that had engaged with the Electric Ireland Hardship Fund.
Once the initial allocation is used, additional funding will be provided to ensure all those eligible are offered access to the scheme within the budget allocation.
Suppliers have contacted 1,853 households and reported to SEAI that they have completed 646 installations. SEAI is in the process of verifying these installations and suppliers have been paid for 376 of these installations.
