Dr. Paul Deane:

I thank the Acting Chairman and Deputy Harkin. To pick up on Mr. O'Donoghue's point, the Deputy is spot on. How we deliver the message and who delivers the message are fundamentally important. When you step back and think about it, it is about showing people how to reduce their energy consumption, rather than telling them. That nuance is fundamentally important. I agree with the Deputy that there is an appetite out there. It is frustrating, disappointing and a little sad when I see many people in my own community spending a lot of time plugging out things like phone chargers and televisions, which is not very impactful. For example, if you were to leave the television screen the committee is using to see me on standby for a full year, it would probably use between €5 and €10 worth of electricity, which is not impactful. Things like tumble dryers, washing machines and home heating are significant areas that can allow us to reduce our energy use, bearing in mind that many of those things are not suitable for the elderly or vulnerable. They are primarily suited to families who are fit, able and healthy. This is also part of the messaging in carving out the families that this information should go to and how it can be delivered. It is fundamentally important. UCC's analysis showed that just five appliances in our homes use about half of our electricity. Those are typically things that heat something up or cool something down. That should be the national focus for families to keep on top of. We also need to keep an eye on our driving and home heating. The home heating point should be prefaced by the fact that it is only suitable for families who are fit, healthy and able. The vulnerable and elderly probably cannot save much more, as they are already struggling and incredibly lean in their overall energy use, which also needs to be considered.

I cannot answer about the standing charges set by the CRU because I unfortunately do not know enough about it. Whatever about more powers, institutions such as the CRU, EirGrid, An Bord Pleanála and local county councils dealing with environmental planning need more people and resources. When we consider the pipeline of energy projects that are waiting to be delivered and the workforce that has to process them, the two are at odds. Powers are one thing. People, or human resources, and increasingly climate and energy literacy are fundamentally important across the public institutions to ensure the applications for permits can be processed at an appropriate speed for the crisis we are in. The issue is not so much about railroading through planning decisions quickly - that cannot happen - but about making good decisions fast and a lot of people are needed for that. In respect of gas-storage options, the previously mentioned consultation on energy security the Government is engaging in at the moment looks at a number of options including State-owned floating LNG and strategic gas storage. The report states that floating offshore LNG storage is the option that would be the quickest to implement. It would fully mitigate against a 30-day physical interruption of gas supply from the UK. However, expectations on that need to be managed.

Floating LNG is a hot resource at the moment. As Mr. O'Donoghue will attest, many other European countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Lithuania are looking at options for floating LNG facilities. Many people are looking at this to increase their gas security diversity, but only there are only about 37 of these floating facilities in the world. Ireland would have to challenge hard to get access. Knowing the options is one thing, but how feasible or realisable that option is during the current energy crisis is difficult to understand. We need to evaluate all the options from floating LNG storage, to offshore exploration, to onshore gas storage, while being mindful that these options are probably deliverable within a window of three or more years. In the medium term the most fundamental action we can take is to encourage and inform people to take ownership of their energy consumption and help them to understand how to reduce it as much as possible. We still need to be mindful that will not shield us from the energy crisis but it will blunt the edge of the blade a little.