Infographic courtesy of ESB
Minister Naughten told Selfbuild the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland was finalising the options for the pilot scheme and that he expected the report on his desk next month, which coincidentally is the month in which the heat pump grants are to be rolled out.
The options, he said, will not include feed-in tariffs but will be looking at providing a grant for homeowners to install the microgeneration unit, e.g. photovoltaic panels, and battery storage as well possible tie-ins with electric vehicle charge points, for which a €600 grant is currently available. No decision has been made as to the exact make up of the scheme but it is still scheduled to be rolled out this summer.
During the press conference Minister Naughten highlighted that the cost for battery storage currently stood at around €6,000 but that he was confident that within two to three years this could be reduced by about a third, stating that research in the field was advancing rapidly.
Astrid Madsen is the editor of the SelfBuild magazine. She previously held the same role in an Irish trade publication, before that she worked at the National Standards Authority of Ireland. She graduated with a BA in Urban Studies from Columbia University in New York and holds an MBA from the Instituto de Estudios Bursatiles in Madrid. France of origin, she now lives in Portarlington, County Laois, where she's taken on the task of renovating a listed building! Email astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie
