Housing innovation in Ireland: Laura McDonnell, Clúid 

Clúid’s Laura McDonnell explains how a new partnership with EnergyCloud is helping to reduce fuel poverty and ensure the benefits of Ireland’s renewable energy revolution reach the households who need them most. 

Energy poverty is no longer a marginal or seasonal issue: it is structural and growing. By the end of 2022, the ESRI reported that 43 per cent of households were in energy poverty, up from 17.5 per cent just two years earlier. Rising costs mean many social residents face impossible choices — heating or eating, paying rent or paying energy arrears. 

Our tenancy sustainment team sees this stark reality every day. Energy poverty is a factor in more than a third of the cases where residents are at significant risk of losing their home. 

Some residents can afford only €20 a week for heating. Others carry arrears of €200–€1,300 with utility providers. Some simply do not turn on their heating at all. These situations are not about comfort: they're about health, security and basic human dignity. 

At the same time, Ireland regularly wastes large volumes of clean energy. In 2019 alone, 711 GWh of wind energy, enough to heat around 200,000 hot water tanks, was dispatched due to grid constraints. In 2024, the equivalent of 422 million tanks of hot water were lost. This is energy our residents desperately need. 

Embarking on a solution 

Clúid was proud to become EnergyCloud’s first social housing partner in 2021. The energy charity’s solution works by redirecting otherwise‑wasted renewable electricity into households experiencing energy poverty, using the infrastructure we already have. 

The technology is simple, involving a smart immersion switch, powered by a SIM card, replacing the traditional switch. When excess renewable energy becomes available overnight, the device automatically heats the resident’s hot water tank for free. There are no complicated installations, no behavioural change required, and no cost to the resident. 

In 2024 alone, families in Clúid homes received free tanks of hot water on 99 separate nights. For many, that means a warm bath, clean clothes, or simply waking up knowing the basics are taken care of. 

As one resident told us: “When I see on the weather forecast that it’s going to be windy overnight, I think — great, that means a free tank of hot water for me.” 

Scaling impact through partnership 

The collaboration reached a new level in 2023 through a partnership between EnergyCloud and Amazon Web Services, financing smart device installation in 1,000 homes nationwide. At the time, minister Eamon Ryan described the initiative as “ambitious and creative”, highlighting its dual impact: reducing energy poverty and supporting Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. 

Today, hundreds of Clúid homes are already connected, and this is just the beginning. Across Ireland, up to 70,000 homes may ultimately benefit as local authorities and other housing bodies come on board. 

Looking ahead 

Our ambition is to roll out EnergyCloud across all Clúid homes. We are already exploring next‑stage innovations, including storage heater trials, solar thermal pilots, integration with smart meters, and EnergyCloud‑ready heat pumps for retrofits and new-builds. 

We are also developing resident communication campaigns to ensure households understand how to maximise the benefits of the technology, because even the smartest system is most effective when people feel confident using it. 

A model for social and environmental Impact 

Clúid's involvement in EnergyCloud demonstrates the powerful impact that can be achieved when social housing providers embrace innovation. 

Together, Clúid and EnergyCloud are: 

• Reducing household energy costs 
• Lowering carbon emissions 
• Making better use of Ireland’s abundant renewable energy 
• Supporting national climate targets 
• Improving quality of life for thousands of families. 

This initiative stands as a compelling example of how housing organisations can drive environmental and social progress simultaneously. It proves what is possible when innovation and social justice come together. 

We are filling homes with comfort and hope — not just heat. And as our collaboration grows, so too will the impact on households, communities and Ireland’s path to a more equitable energy future.