Departmental Schemes
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-11
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Frankie Feighan (FG), Sligo-Leitrim

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important matter. She is seeking clarity, she spoke about inconsistency and she is seeking a one-stop-shop, which would be very worthwhile. She also asked for an education programme for the energy providers. I will bring this back to the Minister also.
The solar PV for the medically vulnerable scheme is a targeted scheme for the installation of solar PV panels for household customers who are registered on the life-support category of the priority services register. Each household registered on this category has a dependence on electrically powered equipment, including medical equipment, life-protecting devices and assistive technologies. Examples include individuals requiring dialysis machines or respirators. Reliance on this equipment can result in such households having higher energy demand than the average user and this scheme is designed to go some way towards helping to reduce these energy costs.
The scheme provides a fully funded 2kWp solar PV system for eligible households. This includes survey and design, supply, installation, and the post-works BER. The scheme is wholly managed by the registered energy suppliers, with each of the suppliers contacting their own eligible customers directly, in line with the work plans for their solar PV installers. Offers are issued to households in batches.
The scheme was launched in 2022, with an overall budget allocation of €20 million. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, reports that 137 systems were installed in 2024, with expenditure of €1.78 million. A total of 473 systems were installed last year, with expenditure of €2.4 million. I am glad to report that this year will see a major expansion of delivery, with an allocation of €11.7 million expected to support over 1,900 homes. Initially, the scheme was limited to individuals who were in the life support category of the priority services register in 2022, when the scheme was launched. However, due to the strong uptake and the positive impact already observed, the scheme is now being extended to include all homeowners who are registered under the life support category of the priority services register, regardless of when they were registered. This will open up the scheme to a wider cohort. The extension was committed to by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, arising from the first report of the national energy affordability task force.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, suppliers’ handbook requires suppliers to establish and maintain their own vulnerable customer registers and ensure vulnerable customer data is forwarded to ESB Networks for inclusion on the industry register. Suppliers are also required by the CRU to take reasonable steps to identify customers at sign-up who are eligible to register as vulnerable customers. Most energy suppliers have agreed to participate in the scheme, with some suppliers more advanced in their programme than others. Each energy supplier has their own arrangements with the SEAI on when they will proceed with installation as this is dependent on the suppliers’ individual solar PV installers and their capacity and location. I thank the Senator for her views and I will bring them back to the Minister.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:37+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-11