People all over this country are being absolutely crushed by incredibly high electricity prices that are just going up and up. We have 317,000 households in arrears. These are people who work hard and do all the right things but just cannot manage to keep their heads about water. It really does not have to be this way. The Social Democrats have put forward a proposal for solar for all, a doubling of the grants, a battery grant for households, to include the warmer homes scheme in the solar panels scheme and to also increase supports for businesses. Solar is the solution to cut people’s energy bills. It is quick, easy and relatively inexpensive if you get sufficient grants to do so. We ask the Government to support our amendment in this regard. One area this Government has continued to ignore for some reason is the benefit and potential of plug-in solar. Plug-in solar is used by 1.5 million households in Germany and is being rolled out in the UK yet in Ireland, for some reason, we are still caught up in years of red tape when it comes to this Government trying to figure out how to legalise plug-in solar. It is a very simple technology. It is a solar panel, micro inverter and a plug. You do not need an electrician. All you need is a bit of sunlight and a socket. You can buy them in your local shops, plug them in and immediately start reducing the cost of your electricity bills. They are suitable for people in apartments and for renters. You can stick them on a shed roof or put them in your garden. They are such a fantastic technology and the fact the Government is continuing to ignore it is beyond belief considering the incredible costs people are incurring. I ask that the Government consider this proposal seriously and support the Social Democrats amendment to the motion.

Sentiment score: 0.12