Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy. The schools PV programme is funded by the Government’s climate action fund in line with our recognition that taking action on climate change is central to our social and economic development. It is assisting schools in reducing their energy costs and carbon footprint as part of the response to meeting the 2030 and 2050 climate action plan targets for the schools' sector.

The schools PV programme, as the Deputy said, provides eligible schools with up to 6 kW peak of roof-mounted solar photovoltaic installations on their roofs, which equates to approximately 14 solar panels. The overall programme will see up to 24 MW of installed renewable energy provision on schools, with associated savings in the region of €5.5 million per year across the 4,000 schools. The meter replacement programme is being delivered by ESB Networks in co-operation with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, and all electricity supply companies.

Schools can apply online to the ESB for a smart meter, which may see the ESB prioritise them for early 2028 installation. Currently, the type of meter in the school referred to by the Deputy is not being replaced until 2028 under the phasing of the ESB smart meter programme. In the meantime, the school will receive an estimated or calculated rebate from their supplier without a smart meter. This estimated export is calculated by ESB Networks. The estimate is based on the size of a school's solar panel system, how much energy it typically produces and how much of that energy is likely sent to the grid. All this information is then used to calculate a fair estimate of how much electricity the school exports.

Taking into account what the Deputy said about the timeline, while there is a system in place to try to mitigate the gap until the meters will be installed, I have asked my Department to engage with the ESB to see if there are opportunities to prioritise smart meter installations in schools so we can try to move this timeline forward. I am very happy to engage with the Deputy and the ESB to see if we can do things faster and move things along. Schools can also access competitive electricity and fuel rates through the Office of Government Procurement, OGP, frameworks. Currently, the electricity supplier offers a microgeneration export rate of 21 cent per kilowatt-hour for electricity exported to the grid.

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