Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State quite rightly outlined that an incredible amount of work has been done by the Government so far, and we welcome that. However, as I mentioned, €305 million worth of retail value is being dumped annually. The redeployment of renewable energy to heat hot water in homes could also displace significant volumes of CO2 and avoid millions of euro in carbon penalties to Ireland. Crucially, that can be done now as that technology is in place. We just need the Commission for Regulation of Utilities to work with the State to make it happen. As the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has stated, we already have those domestic hot-water tanks in our homes. EirGrid announced that the all-Ireland wind power record was set earlier this month and as someone who was out running cross-country at the weekend, I can attest that it was quite breezy and those wind speeds were considerable.

We are not being told the value of what is being dumped. While all the people are having to make stark choices about their own homes, the State is sleeping on this dumping. There is an opportunity to engage with EnergyCloud to explore the solutions available, to use this energy in social housing homes and to reduce the impact of fuel poverty. The Government needs to sit down with all the participants in this process and decide if we should continue to dump 100% renewable energy that could be used to address fuel poverty. Where there is a will, there is always a way.