Ireland is testing a simple way to turn surplus renewable electricity into a household benefit: free hot water. A new pilot in County Clare will use surplus renewable electricity from the national grid to help 40 social housing homes heat water.

Here's what to know

According to The Clare Echo, council-managed homes in Broadford and Scariff, close to the Carrownagowan Wind Farm site, are due to get smart controls through a partnership between Clare County Council, EnergyCloud, and FuturEnergy Ireland. Those devices are designed to turn on immersion heaters when the national grid has more renewable power than it needs.

For households hoping to lower hot water costs, upgrading to a heat pump water heater can reduce the amount of electricity needed to make hot water, helping trim utility bills before any smart scheduling features are added.

EnergyCloud said that happens about one night in three. On those nights, tenants can heat a full tank without being charged for that electricity.

More background

The EnergyCloud devices automate the timing, so tenants do not need to monitor the grid or manually switch on their water heaters when renewable supply is high.

Clare County Council's Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Housing Delivery, Infrastructure Provision and Land Activation, Alan Farrell, said, "The potential savings, and access to hot water, can make a meaningful difference for participating households."

The council said it will assess the results before deciding whether to take the program countywide. FuturEnergy Ireland Delivery Director Mary Lynch described the project as a way to cut energy bills for households near Carrownagowan Wind Farm.

What's being done?

If the pilot performs well, the council has said a wider expansion could follow. 40 social housing homes in Broadford and Scariff will receive the smart control devices, and FuturEnergy Ireland is funding the program.

For homeowners looking for a similar strategy outside this pilot, Cala makes smart heat pump water heaters. Its customizable smart heat pump water heaters help homeowners decrease their energy bills by heating water exactly when it's needed.

In Clare, that timing is triggered by surplus renewable electricity on the national grid.

For people not in a council-led program, products such as Cala offer a similar way to cut hot water costs at home.

Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Cllr Joe Killeen explained, "By using surplus renewable electricity, this pilot programme will help tenants reduce household costs while supporting Ireland's transition to cleaner energy."

Where can I learn more?

These stories show how homes and neighborhoods are using smart energy tools to lower bills and make better use of cleaner electricity. They cover water heaters that help balance demand, virtual power plants, government-backed home upgrades, and heat pump incentives.

• In Hawaiʻi, Shifted Energy is tapping home water heaters to steady the power grid.

• In Germany, sonnen is building the first virtual power plant around household batteries.

• In the U.K., a government program is decarbonizing our homes while lowering bills.

• Across the U.K., millions of households could get free home upgrades under a bill-cutting plan.

• In several U.S. states, homeowners can still use heat pump incentives to lower upgrade costs.

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