Ryan O'Meara
Question:219. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the efforts his Department have made to encourage better take-up of the solar PV scheme by electricity providers. [68695/26]
View answerTuesday, 29 September 2026
Questions (219)
Written answers
The Solar PV for the Medically Vulnerable Scheme is a targeted scheme for the installation of solar 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 such as dialysis machines and 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 and is open to all suppliers who wish to participate, 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 solely a matter for suppliers to indicate their intentions, current or past, in respect of this scheme. Each supplier has been contacted regularly and encouraged to participate for the benefit of their most vulnerable customers. My Department and the SEAI continue to raise this issue with suppliers.
Most energy suppliers have agreed to provide the scheme for their customers, with some suppliers more advanced in their programme than others. The SEAI report that 137 systems were installed in 2024 with expenditure of €1.78 million, 473 systems were installed last year with expenditure of €2.4 million and 319 systems were installed this year to end August with expenditure of €2.16 million.
The cross-Government National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT), which I chair, was established in June 2025 to identify and implement measures to enhance energy affordability for households and businesses.
The NEAT is now working intensively to prepare an Energy Affordability Action Plan. This work includes examining how to support increased uptake of home energy efficiency upgrades, in particular for lower-income households at risk of energy poverty, and continued development of the SEAI retrofit schemes in line with commitments in the Programme for Government. The Action Plan will be focused on short, medium and longer-term measures (including targeted measures) to support households and businesses to meet their energy costs.
Part of the work of the NEAT involves interaction and workshops with energy suppliers, with my Department and the SEAI emphasising the importance of the Solar PV for the Medically Vulnerable Scheme to energy suppliers.