Up to 70,000 homes could benefit from surplus renewable electricity to heat their water cylinders for free under an initiative being rolled out by EnergyCloud, a new social enterprise supported by Eirgrid, energy suppliers and other stakeholders.
The operators say the free electricity that is effectively dumped at night-time when electricity demand falls and wind turbines are turned off should instead be used to alleviate fuel poverty.
The Clúid Housing Agency provides over 10,000 affordable homes to people in need across Ireland.
One of their homes, located in the Jobstown area of Tallaght in Dublin, has something quite special inside.
It is a connection to the EnergyCloud network and a glimpse of the electricity consumption of the future.
The EnergyCloud connection is an amazing little contraption. It is a small, tidy, square digital switch that replaces an ordinary immersion switch.
It is connected by wires to three heat sensor points on a traditional hot water cylinder and takes about an hour to install.
Inside it, there is a tiny mobile phone sim card (at no cost to the homeowner) as well as a chip that enables the switch to connect to the internet where it is available.
Once it is in place and connected up to the network, it enables unused energy, generated by wind blowing at night-time, to be channelled to heat up domestic water cylinders for free.
Of course, there is no guarantee of free surplus electricity on any particular night. The residents are told by text message when it is coming. They are advised that if they leave their hot-water cylinder unheated EnergyCloud will be able to turn it on and heat it up when the free power is available while they are asleep.
Head of Communications and Policy at Clúid, Laura McDonnell, said the initiative is helping to reduce energy costs as well as providing free hot water for when the residents wake up.
"Our residents are really grateful for it, they get really excited, and it is starting to change some of their behaviour. Now when they see that there is a lot of wind outside, they get a little bit excited to know that there will probably be a free hot water tank coming that night," she said.
Local authorities and other housing agencies are so enamoured of the benefits and potential to alleviate fuel poverty that they are lining up another 70,000 homes for installations.
Co-founder of EnergyCloud, Derek Roddy, thinks EnergyCloud will be a global phenomenon because it puts citizens right at the heart of energy systems. He said it is all about a coalition of the willing.
"We brought together people from the wind farm associations, ESB networks, Eirgrid, the energy retailers, and homeowners to try to figure out how we could use this surplus wind energy and ensure it gets to people who are struggling with fuel poverty.
"The numbers are staggering. It is hundreds of millions of euro worth of energy that gets wasted every year in Ireland, and we believe that that money and that energy can be given to people who need it," said Mr Roddy.
EnergyCloud would not work without the involvement of Eirgrid and ESB networks, both of which are doing all they can to ensure it succeeds. In the process they are of course learning lots about how to change consumer behaviour in relation to electricity usage.
Chief Innovation and Planning Officer at Eirgrid Group, Liam Ryan, said everybody involved is beginning to see benefits.
"It is in line with what we are trying to deliver on the Government's renewable energy and emissions targets, while at the same time ensuring that the price of electricity remains affordable across society.
"It is also in keeping with the aims of a just transition for all communities and helps environmental sustainability" said Mr Ryan.
Until now whenever we flick an electric switch on or off in our homes, Eirgrid must increase or decrease the amount of electricity on the national grid to match it. If they get it wrong the system would collapse. This means the supply of electricity must follow our demands for it.
But with renewable energy it will have to start working the other way around - our demand for electricity will have to follow electricity supply to some extent.
That is because renewable electricity supply is dictated when the wind blows and when the sun shines, and we do not have control over that.
The EnergyCloud initiative will certainly make people more aware. There is little doubt that what we learn from it will be pivotal in the renewable energy revolution that is now so clearly under way.
