Competition for householders with excess solar electricity to sell is finally heating up with at least ten firms now offering purchase plans and rates.
ne firm, Pinergy, today increased its earlier advertised rate and is bringing forward its first payday by three months.
The move comes amid criticisms that electricity firms were failing to implement the scheme for small energy producers – or microgenerators – signed off by Government last February.
Pinergy, which was the first to confirm an offer, announced last May that it would pay customers 13.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).
It was to be paid by way of credits to offset part of their electricity bills from next January but backdated to the Government’s announcement in February.
The company said today it was increasing its rate to 21c per kWh and that credits would be applied with immediate effect and each month to follow.
That is the highest rate on offer so far. The other companies to have confirmed their rate to the energy regulator are: Electric Ireland 14c, Bord Gais 18.5c, Energia 18c, SSE Airtricity 14c, Flogas 20c, Prepay Power 14c, EcoPower 14c, Community Power 13.5c and Arden Energy 17.5c.
Panda Power had announced an offer of 17.5c but it is leaving the Irish energy market. Of the others, EcoPower was the only one to have begun making payments to customers.
The others were aiming to begin by the end of November at the latest.</…….