Energy company Pinergy is to increase the tariff it pays customers for returning renewable electricity to the grid.
The “clean export guarantee (CEG)” tariff introduced earlier this year is part of a framework for micro and small-scale generators in Ireland. If you are eligible you can receive remuneration from your electricity supplier for all excess renewable electricity exported to the grid.
Pinergy said on Friday it was increasing its tariff for the scheme from 13.5c to 21c per kWh. The group was among the first of the energy suppliers to introduce a CEG tariff following the launch of the scheme.
The move is a rare bright spot for consumers grapping with higher energy costs across the board, with charges likely to increase over the winter.
At that outset of the scheme, Pinergy announced that it would pay 13.5c per kWh to micro-generating customers that sell their excess energy back to it. However, since then wholesale energy prices have continued to rise significantly.
Pinergy said the new rate of 21c per kWh represents the highest CEG tariff offered by any energy company operating in Ireland to date.
Pinergy has also announced that it has begun paying customers with immediate effect for energy already exported this year and backdated to February when the scheme was established.
Enda Gunnell, Pinergy chief executive, said: “We already have several hundred customers that are on Pinergy supply who are exporting their excess energy having been approved for the microgeneration scheme.
“We are delighted with the response we have had from our customers so far. The interest shown towards the scheme demonstrates the willingness of customers to contribute positively towards a more sustainable energy future.
“At Pinergy we are seeing a lot of potential for further growth for microgeneration in Ireland and we are excited to play our role in this transition.”
Customers will receive monthly credit for their excess energy that is being sold back to Pinergy depending on how much energy that they are exporting back to the grid every month.
Up to the end of August, Pinergy’s commercial and residential customers approved for the scheme have exported the equivalent annual demand of 35 typical homes of excess electricity back to the grid.
