TRAINER Kieran Cotter says he has reduced his electricity bills by over 90% since he installed solar panels on a handful of his stables in Portarlington, Co Laois, just four months ago.
“I saw that there was grant aid of up to 60% of the costs available so I decided to bite the bullet and it has been a big success. I can’t think of any disadvantage to doing it – it’s a no-brainer as far as I am concerned.”
Cotter selected IFA Bord Gáis to do the job. “They came out and did a site visit to see where the best place would be for the panels. They also looked at my last three electricity bills to get an average of how much I was paying per month.”
Crucially, IFA Bord Gáis did all the paperwork for Cotter and he secured a 50% grant under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS).
“The full cost was €27,000 and when I arranged finance for that the repayments were no bigger than my electricity bills. Once the grant was approved IFA Bord Gáis were here straight away and had the panels installed in a day.”
Cotter has just 21 panels (estimate lifespan 25 years) fitted to the stable roof and these generate more than enough electricity for the yard and he uses excess electricity to charge the family car. He says he is often in a position where he can sell excess electricity to the ESB but this facility is limited.
“I was interested in getting more panels but the installers said there was no point as the local transformers could not take any more supply from me. You’re better off storing any excess electricity for your own use.”
Cotter has an app on his phone which tells him how much electricity the panels are generating. “At the moment it’s telling me I am 95% self-sufficient. I think this is really going to take off. I’d be very positive about it.”
The Irish Field and IFA Bord Gáis will stage an information evening on the topic aimed at horse owners on Monday, August 26th, in The Heritage Hotel, Killenard, Co Laois. Entitled ‘Maximising Energy Grants for the Equine Sector’, the event will feature expert advice on solar panels, the finance and potential savings, and details on available grants.
Admission to the event is free, but pre-registration is essential.