Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs

EU-level Policy Response to Current Energy Security Issues: Discussion

Mr. Cillian O'Donoghue:

I will not comment on the windfarms but I can comment on the smart meter roll outs. It varies a lot between member states. By and large we see member states that are very active with smart meters, in particular I flag Estonia which has a digitalised economy and consumers are hooked up to the new generation. We see big benefits there. They have apps, they react to when prices are low and when prices are high. We had a recent meeting with the CEO of Eesti Energia who is in charge of energy in Estonia. He was giving advice to many EU member states on how they have done in Estonia. It is a good model to follow. Maybe there are some hiccups of which I am not aware but by and large smart meters and more information lead to better decisions from consumers which leads to less usage of energy at the wrong hours. All things considered they are generally a good thing. We should definitely promote them.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.