Tipperary communities are being urged to buy power locally

Communities in Tipperary are being encouraged to explore buying their electricity locally.

According to Tipperary based Community Power, this is not something that most people think about, but it is something they want to change.

You can now choose to buy your power from local community owned electricity generators such as Templederry Wind Farm which featured on RTE Nationwide last Friday, they said.

Based in Nenagh, Community Power is Ireland’s first community owned electricity supplier. It is a partnership of community energy organisations around Ireland working to create a sustainable energy future for their local areas.

The communities are working on saving energy, retrofits, microgeneration and developing plans for renewable energy generation.

In Tipperary, members are Energy Communities Tipperary Cooperative and Templederry Energy Resources.

The group grew out of Templederry, which is Ireland’s first and only community owned wind farm and is now working to support more renewable energy projects across Ireland, and will buy electricity from small suppliers.

Last November Community Power was granted a licence to become a large utility supplier.

Households, businesses, farmers and schools throughout Tipperary and nationwide are all being urged to switch suppliers which will in turn enable Community Power to assist other communities develop their own projects.

Anyone can switch electricity supplier online via the website communitypower.ie

Development coordinator Derry O’Donnell will be speaking to community groups, individuals and businesses about how they can switch their electricity supplier to Community Power.

Profits from Community Power will be used to develop more community owned renewable energy. To find out more or to get involved email derry@energy

communitiestipp.ie; phone 089-9546808, or visit energycommunitiestipp.ie and communitypower.ie