Greystones & Delgany SEC “Solar Meitheal”

Q: Will the installer contact me?

Please note that to avoid the possibility of participants being scammed by imitators, the GDSEC will be your only point of contact until after the formal email introduction by the SEC between yourself and the installer. No monies or contracts will be asked for or exchanged with an installer until after a formal email introduction by the SEC between yourself and the installers. The SEC will only send you important content via our official email account info@greystonesgreenenergy.ie or stonessec@gmail.com, but may send text messages to inform of a new email (in case it ends up in your spam folder).

Solar PV - Start Using Free Energy

Following on from our successful pilot last year, Greystones and Delgany Sustainable Energy Community is excited to launch our second “Solar Meitheal” initiative for homeowners and businesses who are interested in installing Solar PV. Restricted to Greystones & Delgany homes and businesses only, those involved will benefit from free advice by our industry expert, a competitive quotation from our solar tender, and through the pooling of purchasing power, a potential economies of scale price discount. Meitheal is an old Irish term that describes how people come together to help one another out. The Meitheal was a powerful concept in years gone by, neighbours would join together, particularly at harvest time to make large tasks easier to achieve as a group rather than as individuals. The concept of a Meitheal can also be applied to our SEC’s mission of making our community sustainable and carbon-free. With a 25-30 year lifespan and a payback period usually within 8-9 years, solar provides homes and businesses with a guaranteed return on investment and many years of free electricity. Supported by the latest grants and technologies available, homeowners can now avail of this clean renewable power source to help meet their electricity needs. Our Solar Meitheal brochure outlining the process is available at the community desk in AIB Greystones and if you are interested in joining our 2023 cohort, please complete the qualification form below.

GDSEC Solar Meitheal Qualification Form

To reduce the amount of time needed to build an offer based on viable properties and interested owners, please click on the following link to fill out your details – Solar Meitheal Qualification Form

The closing date for expressions of interest is the 30th September 2023.

Thank you.

FAQ for GDSEC Solar Meitheal Participants

Our more general FAQ on Solar PV in Ireland can be found here.

Who is running this programme and what are the goals?

Greystones & Delgany Sustainable Energy Community (GDSEC) is a subgroup of Greystones Tidy Towns and is a registered SEC with the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland). Staffed by volunteers under the mentorship of an officially registered SEC technical advisor, Simon Whelan (page 37), our mission is to explore options for reducing our community’s carbon emissions and increase the energy efficiency and sustainability of our buildings, transport and other aspects of our lives.

With this in mind, we launched the “Solar Meitheal” initiative. Through our advisory and administrative support role, we aim to help homeowners and businesses who are interested in installing Solar PV to (a) understand the technology, (b) arrive at a solar PV system configuration that suits their needs, and (c) get a competitive quote from a top solar installer.

What are the qualifying requirements?

Your home or business lies within the Greystones & Delgany catchment area
You have a minimum of 10m2 of usable roof space for solar panel install
Your roof is south, east or west-facing (or a combination of these) and not shaded by nearby trees or buildings for the majority of the day
You are in a position to finance your desired solar PV system configuration

What are the benefits of working with the SEC?

Provides free and independent advice as well as step-by-step guidance in helping you decide on your ideal solar PV configuration
Through our combined Solar PV Request for Offer, the programme will provide a competitive quotation from a top qualified installer
Through the pooling of purchasing power, the programme hopes to provide the added benefit of a potential economies of scale price discount

How do I determine my home’s annual kWh electricity consumption?

To figure out how much electricity your home or businesses uses annually, simply add up your kWh usage on all your electricity utility bills that cover one full year (usually 6 bimonthly bills).

On each bill, the amount of energy you’ve used in the billing period will be labelled as “consumption” or “usage” and listed in “units” or “kWh”, (note: 1 unit = 1kWh). Write down the number of kWh (or units) used per bill and then add up all kilowatt hours across all the electricity bills within the year to get your annual kWh electricity consumption total.

Will the SEC contact me for payments?

At no stage will GDSEC engage in a contract or exchange monies with participants, we are only here in a voluntary support role.

Will the installer contact me?

Please note that to avoid the possibility of participants being scammed by imitators, the GDSEC will be your only point of contact until after the formal email introduction by the SEC between yourself and the installer. No monies or contracts will be asked for or exchanged with an installer until after a formal email introduction by the SEC between yourself and the installers. The SEC will only send you important content via our official email account info@greystonesgreenenergy.ie or stonessec@gmail.com, but may send text messages to inform of a new email (in case it ends up in your spam folder).

Will the installer be qualified and insured?

Yes, we will only seek bids from installers carrying full public liability insurance and are approved and vetted installers with the SEAI.

Will there be a contract for the install and who will I pay?

The SEC will seek a Request for Offer from 3 installers seeking the best balance of price, service, and schedule. The SEC will contact you directly once a selection is made to properly transition you to the installer’s account manager. You will be dealing with the SEC until this handoff occurs. Your complete PV installation contract and payments will be made directly with the installer.

Is there any penalty if I leave the programme?

Please note that participants can leave the programme at any time without penalty, prior to entering into a contract directly with the installer. Since your interest does have a bearing on the bidding and costing for the Solar Meitheal group cohort, we ask that you only participate if you are willing and financially able to fund a solar PV system, and to contact us immediately if you are no longer interested.