Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In terms of the outline, the Minister is correct. EnergyCloud is working with Clúid Housing. Explicitly, it is taking what would otherwise be waste renewable energy, mostly, during the night, and heating the hot water tanks in the homes of many people on their pilot.

It said, as recently as Sunday night, that had it the capacity at scale it could have heated, because of the amount of surplus wind energy, 1.8 million hot water tanks in homes across the State. That is, obviously, the upper end, but it gives one the sense of the scale and opportunity that is there.

Particularly given the energy crisis we are in, I would appeal to the Minister - I have raised this with him on a number of occasions and I know others have as well - to take a personal interest in this, look at the opportunity of it and look at the barriers that might exist in terms of technology or engineering. It is a great opportunity to do something positive in the renewables and fuel-poverty sphere.

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