ENERGY SECURITY WITH SOLAR
Updated May 15th, 2026
A friend with an elderly husband called in a bit of a state. Her husband isn’t very mobile and feels the cold these days. Even in May, the central heating gets turned on more often than it used to. Last week, she called for a fill of oil – 876 litres came in at near €1,700. Twice as much as when she ordered back before Christmas.
The elderly. Families with young children. The medically vulnerable. Folks in the countryside with no public transport and long commutes. They can’t do without home heating oil, or fuel at the pumps. They are the ones really feeling the stranglehold of anxiety caused by the current turmoil in the Middle East. But every day that the world is forced to wait for business as usual to resume in the Strait of Hormuz is another day closer to the rest of us starting to feel that same fear.
Home heating oil and motor fuel were the first commodities to reflect the uptick of global energy prices. As Iran, America and Israel wrestle over control of the narrow stretch of water along which a third of the world’s oil passes, the price of a barrel of crude has swung with every Presidential social media post on the crisis.
That upward pressure is now moving into the electricity market. Early in June, PrePay Power will hike the price of electricity it supplies by 8.8% and gas by 10.6%. The increases will affect almost 250,000 PrePay Power customers, with Electric Ireland and other energy suppliers likely to follow with their own increases in short order.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald described the increases as a “hammer blow to workers and families already pushed to the brink”.
And it’s not just about energy security and energy prices going up. The Iran war’s impact on global transport networks for fertiliser, grain and other goods will also likely lead to increases in the price of food.
Experts like Kingsmill Bond, of the energy thinktank Ember, believe the Middle East crisis makes clear that the switch to renewables is not just about climate change but about energy security and national security.
“The difference between climate and energy security is like your doctor telling you to get off the couch, go for a run and get fit, versus someone breaking in through the window and holding a gun to your head,” Bond told RTE. “We have just got to get on with it – we have no other option.”
Your Future Energy Security
With all that to worry about, consumers could be forgiven for tightening their belts, abandoning the planned family holiday, and telling the kids that “99s” will be rationed this summer. And I don’t argue that many of us will probably decide it’s smart to do a bit of that.
But it is also smart to invest now in something that will make 2027, and the years after that better. Making the decision to install solar is one of the most effective ways available to escape from the noose of spiralling energy costs and a firm energy security step to take for your home.
Ireland’s Sustainable Energy Authority (SEAI) is the body responsible for administering the government grant to make installing solar affordable to all. Grants of up to €1800 are available, and our SolarSmart team re here to help our clients to access them. We’ll not only help you with the paperwork, we’ll carry the cost of the grant until the application is approved.
That means that one of SolarSmart’s 14-panel 6.4 kWp Solar & Battery power systems costs only €11,811. A system with a 25+ year lifespan, will “break even” in just six years of use.
Don’t spend your summer worrying about what the future may bring. Let us help you take charge of your home’s future energy security with safe, low-cost solar.
Why Choose Solar In Ireland?
Investing in a solar panel systems in Ireland can bring many benefits, including reduced energy bills, increased energy independence, and a reduced carbon footprint. If you are interested in installing a solar panel system in Ireland, it is also worth exploring the different grant options and green business loans available and seeking professional advice from one of our solar energy advisors.
Feel free to contact us for more information, we’re here to help.
