SOLAR ENERGY: THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS FUTURE
Updated November 29, 2024
By Morgan Pierce
It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about the rugby Autumn Internationals (though in my house, that’s all they’re talking about…). I’m talking about the Christmas advert time of year.
Before we can listen to a single chorus of “Fairy Tale of New York”, we have to endure to the annual tear-jerker festival the big retailers think we need to drive us into the shops in droves. Not many are satisfied, a la Guinness, to snow-dust down the same minute – “even in the home of the black stuff they dream of a white one” – year after year.
This year’s yule offerings include Shaun the Sheep serenading on behalf of Barbour, and the BFG making an appearance on behalf of Sainsbury’s. There’s something for true crime addicts in Waitrose’s whodunit about a stolen Christmas pudding. And lump-in-the-throat material in both Tesco’s gingerbread tribute to grandmas everywhere, and John Lewis’ Narnia-themed hunt for the perfect present for an exasperating sibling.
There isn’t, however, a Scrooge-themed offering among this year’s releases. And there really should be. Because its definitely the time of year when we are all struggling to make more out of less, and – with the cost of living crisis grinding on and energy costs remaining high – that seems truer this year than ever.
Look at the energy costs alone. The Latest Electricity Cost Reports last month showed that Irish consumers typically pay more than €500 more than many of their fellow EU residents. And domestic electricity alone is about €350 more than the EU average. If that doesn’t make you feel miserly, you’re more big-hearted and forgiving than Bob Cratchet.
Budget 2025 aimed to take the sting out of these numbers with a little seasonal cheer in the form of a €250 credit to every electricity account older in the state – including those on prepaid meters. The first of two credits will appear in the next few weeks as €114.68 (this is €125 excluding VAT) on the credit line of electricity bills. The second credit will appear in early 2025.
Like the turkey that appeared anonymously at the Cratchet’s front door, the energy credits will certainly make Christmas brighter. But like that turkey, they won’t necessarily have a lasting impact on the lives of us real live Tiny Tims and our families.
In Dicken’s tale, the Cratchet family’s life turns for the good only when Scrooge himself is transformed by the visions of the future presented to him by the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come”.
If you’ve landed on this page, you’re already aware of the grim possibilities for “Christmas Yet to Come,” that climate science predicts for our warming world. Renewable energy represents the kind of transformative opportunity that the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge would have made good use of.
And so should we.
Avail of higher SEAI Solar Energy Grants before 2024 ends
Unlike Budget 2025’s rapidly gobbled up energy credit, making room in your own family’s 2024 budget to make the switch to renewables will benefit your wallet and the planet for years to come.
If you own a typical detached family home, installing one of SolarSmart’s mid-range solar systems – with an added battery for storing the energy you generate – can take an average of €1,100 a year off your electricity bill. These ten panel systems are competitively priced under €12,000.
For the rest of 2024, grants from the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEAI) continue to make the switch to solar cheaper with €2,100 installation grants still available. (In January grants drop by €300, down to €1,800.)
At the current grant rate, the mid-range system above will cost under €10,000. You can lock in that savings by getting in touch with us and getting a grant application in now.
Don’t wait for a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Guarantee that warm, sparkly, Christmases go on and on, reduce your energy costs, and future-proof your home with solar.
Why Choose Solar In Ireland?
Investing in a solar panel systems in Ireland can bring many benefits, including reduced energy bills, increased energy independence, and a reduced carbon footprint. If you are interested in installing a solar panel system in Ireland, it is also worth exploring the different grant options and green business loans available and seeking professional advice from one of our solar energy advisors.
Feel free to contact us for more information, we’re here to help.