Cork residents may join forces to reduce electricity bills

Local Green Party councillor Oliver Moran will host a public talk in Mayfield with southside resident Oliver Deasy on neighbourhoods coming together to save on electricity bills.

Mr Deasy is a resident of Newton Court in Grange, where locals cut the cost of installing solar electricity on their homes in half. He will share his experience of setting up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC), with households combining their buying power to negotiate the best deal for themselves. 

Households in the scheme typically installed enough solar to save 90–100% off the average electricity bill for an outlay of €2,500 and this could be financed through a credit union.

Mr Deasy said: “The northside of Cork city is ideally suitable for communities to set up SECs and benefit from the various energy-related schemes that are grant-aided by SEAI, which results in considerable savings to households in energy costs. 

"In the Douglas area, 300 houses have installed rooftop solar with substantial savings in installation costs due to economies of scale. 

"Households will save between €1,000–1,200 per year in electricity costs as a result of installing solar PV.”

Mr Moran added: “Residents of a neighbourhood coming together like this is a great idea to get the best value for money. We’ve a real example now in the city that can show other areas how to do it. We’re especially lucky to have someone like Oliver, with expertise, passion, and a willingness to share his experience.

“The talk is open to everyone from individuals and residents’ associations to community organisations. The idea is to spread the experience from Newton Court across the city.”

The talk will take place at St Joseph’s Community Centre on the Old Youghal Road at 7:30pm on Thursday, March 12.