MINISTER SARGENT URGES DUBLIN NORTH RESIDENTS TO SIGN UP FOR NEW GREEN ESB METERS
2 October 2008
The Minister for Food and Horticulture and T.D. for Dublin North Trevor Sargent has called on local residents to sign up for a new pilot scheme which will see cutting edge smart electricity meters installed nationwide.
Welcoming the recent announcement of Energy Minister Eamon Ryan, Trevor Sargent said, ‘The ESB are writing to over 60,000 of their customers to invite them to take part in this smart meter trial and several hundred of these will be in Dublin North. I would urge anybody who receives an invitation to participate in this trial to make full use of it.’
He continued, ‘Smart meters monitor a household’s electricity usage and send data back to the ESB every half an hour. They will save households money and reduce carbon emissions, so it’s a win, win situation for anybody lucky enough to be invited to take part in this trial.’
He concluded by saying, ‘The Green Party negotiated commitments in the Programme for Government to ensure the installation of a smart electronic meter in every home in the country and to facilitate the introduction of net metering to allow consumers to sell electricity back into the grid from renewable power supplies. This trial is the first phase in the delivery of those commitments. It will help to reduce families’ electricity bills as the cost of oil and gas drives prices higher, reduce carbon emissions, expand renewable energy production, and improve our national energy efficiency and security.’
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