Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are very welcome to the meeting. In north Kildare, constituents of mine tell me that they are cutting down drastically on their electricity use. Some of them are taking the alarming advice to use dishwashers, washing machines and dryers at night time, about which I am sure every fireman and firewoman in the State would be very anxious. I also want to ask the witnesses about Electric Ireland's customer outreach and whether as an essential service provider, not just a market provider, they think it is effective. How does Electric Ireland measure customer reaction to its outreach activities? Has it had any issues identifying vulnerable customers? Does its outreach involve collaboration with the HSE regarding how to identify vulnerable customers because there are so many of them who are not registered with their provider? Has Electric Ireland looked at the possibility of issuing monthly bills? People on low incomes are telling me that they would find it so much easier if they had monthly bills. Regarding Electric Ireland's customer outreach on smart meters, I believe that only around 4% of smart meters are being used. How does Electric Ireland hope to educate people about how smart meters are meant to be used to customers' advantage?