Micro–Generation for businesses

Put simply, micro-generation refers to the generation of electricity from renewable technologies. These include solar photovoltaic (PV), micro-wind, micro-hydro and micro-renewable combined heat and power (CHP).

If you have solar panels installed in your business, you’re probably interested in micro-generation, as it means you can get paid for the energy you produce.

A payment, or clean export guarantee (CEG), is available to all eligible renewable generators that export to the grid, regardless of what energy provider they have a supply contract with.

Here at Flogas, we have hundreds of customers who are benefiting from this scheme by sending solar-generated electricity back into the grid. Want to learn how you can too? Read on for more information.

Much of it happens automatically, through your business energy technology. If you have a smart meter installed, it will tell us the amount of electricity your home is generating at half-hourly intervals. Will will then apply a credit on your Flogas Electricity account for that amount.

If you are eligible for a smart meter but do not have one installed, then you are not eligible for the clean export guarantee. Please note that at the moment, there is a significant lead time for ESB Networks (ESBN) to exchange your current meter for a smart meter.

If you don’t have a smart meter as you are not currently eligible for one, ESBN will calculate a “deemed” amount, which is essentially their estimate of how much electricity will be generated and exported back into the grid for a regular home.

The calculation is that for every 1.2KW panel, 357 kWh will be fed back to the grid. So, for a 4.8 kW installation – 4 standard PV panels, an annual feed in volume of 1,428kwh will be assumed or “deemed”. It will take time, but we believe the “deemed” amount will generally prove correct as it has done in other places such as Northern Ireland.

Of course, like everything, the exact details may change over time and it will be subject to reviews.
Smart meters are the best way to make sure you’re getting your value from every kWh generated. 
Do you have a smart meter already? We can also help you correctly configure your smart meter set-up. Don’t have one yet? We’re happy to help you get a smart meter installed — just reach out to us to organise the next steps.

We will credit your electricity account at the same frequency and time as your regular bill with an amount equal to the volume of electricity returned to the grid multiplied by the Flogas microgeneration rate. 

The first payments were issued from 31 October 2022 and backdated to 15 February 2022 when the government enacted the legislation, or from when you first became eligible to be remunerated for your exported electricity after that date. 

The above dates have been communicated to all electricity suppliers by the CRU (www.cru.ie). From 3rd June 2023, your export credit will be applied to your account on your scheduled bill date for your usage. You will receive a standalone credit invoice for your export detailing the kWh exported and the period that the credit covers. 

For homes and small businesses who have less than 6kw of Solar PV installed – ie 5 or less 1.2kw panels, each supplier will set a feed-in rate.
 

The first step is to complete an NC6 form, which must be sent to ESBN to inform them that you have micro generation installed.

ESBN is currently working with customers, electricity supply companies, and other industry stakeholders to upgrade meters for customers who have informed them that they have installed micro-generation.

Once that’s done, we are informed as your energy supplier, and we will take it from there. We will write to inform you of any further information we need and to inform you of the clean export rate we will be paying and at what intervals.

Please note you must be with the same energy supplier for your regular electricity account as your micro generation account.

Customers that are eligible for a smart meter under ESBN’s led deployment approach under the National Smart Metering Programme must meet the below criteria:

• Meet the definition of a renewables self-consumer in the Renewable Energy Directive;
• Export excess electricity to the network based on data transmitted to ESBN;
• Have installed microgeneration and informed ESBN using the NC6 or equivalent form, and;
• Have a smart meter installed to record their export electricity data.

Deemed Export Arrangements refer to customers who are not eligible for a smart meter under ESBN’s led deployment approach under the National Smart Metering Programme. They must meet the below criteria:

• Meet the definition of a renewables self-consumer in the Renewable Energy Directive;
• Have installed microgeneration and informed ESBN using the NC6 or equivalent form, and;
• Their meter type is not eligible for a smart meter installation, or they are unable to have a smart installed for reasons beyond their control.
   

The simple answer is that it’s sent from ESBN to Flogas. The longer, more technical explanation is that metered export recorded or deemed quantity calculated and provisioned by ESBN that is provided to Flogas will be the final determination of the quantity of export for which you will be credited.

An export tariff rate of €0.185 (exc. VAT), €0.20 (inc. VAT at 9%) per kWh will be applied to the excess exported electricity. The effective start date of the rate is 6 November 2023. Flogas reserve the right to vary rates. Publicly available tariffs can be viewed any time at www.flogas.ie.

Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of notice if there’s a change to the tariff. A notification by email or letter will be issued to you 30 days in advance of the effective date of the tariff change.

Every two months. Need more detail? Excess exported electricity will be applied to your account as credit every two months using the metered or deemed calculation provided by ESBN that is applicable to your account. Statements will be issued to you detailing the export rate(s) and if the credit is based on the metered or deemed calculation.

Customers must be registered with Flogas for their import electricity to be remunerated by Flogas for excess export electricity. If you switch to another registered supplier, Flogas will credit any export to your account up to the effective date of your change.