Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I share the concerns of the other Deputies about how the average household will pay over a third of its income on energy for keeping warm, cooking, washing clothes, etc. We must do much more to negotiate with the utility companies to reduce their prices. We are lucky that the weather has not been too bad just yet. However, if we get a bad winter on top of rising energy prices, it could tip people over the edge. Households cannot scrimp on keeping themselves warm.

Since electricity cannot be stored, it poses problems for wind-generated power. The Spirit of Ireland project believed it had solved this problem by proposing back-up hydro-generating stations to deal with peak demand times.

Could the commission elaborate a bit more on smart metering? I have heard some negative comments about it in the past few days. Is a system whereby a household can put back unused electricity into the grid a utopian ideal? Now that the nuclear industry is waning, what potential does Ireland have to supply alternative energy production, particularly to Britain?