What Carrickfinn Can Teach Growing SMEs About Energy Control

Tom Boyd, a sheep farmer from Carrickfinn in County Donegal, is taking a significant step toward managing his daily energy consumption. While the setting is agricultural, the operational challenge is one that many growing Irish businesses will recognise: rising electricity costs, pressure on margins and the need to plan future expenditures with confidence.

For Tom and his family, Carrickfinn is a business built on legacy and responsibility. When Tom and his brother Keith took on the management of the farm as teenagers following the loss of their father, they took on the responsibility of protecting a family enterprise. Today, that same focus on long-term viability is driving them to modernise their energy. With support from Electric Ireland, the farm is exploring how solar and battery technology can help manage energy in a smarter, more sustainable way. 

Why this matters to the wider SME sector

Solar as a practical business decision 

For businesses with suitable roof space and regular daytime electricity use, solar can be a practical way to take more control of energy costs. It gives businesses the opportunity to generate renewable electricity where it is used, supporting better long-term cost control and helping reduce exposure to energy market changes on a portion of their usage. 

It can also support sustainability goals in a way that is visible, measurable and relevant to day-to-day operations. For many SMEs, that matters not just internally, but to customers, employees, suppliers and stakeholders who increasingly expect businesses to show practical progress. 

Choosing solar is an important business decision, so it helps to have a partner that understands both energy and business operations.  

We understand that every business is different. The right solar solution depends on how your site operates, when you use energy and what you want to achieve. Electric Ireland can help businesses understand whether solar is suitable for their premises, what kind of system may be appropriate and how on-site generation could support their longer-term energy plans. 

That is what makes Carrickfinn such a useful story. It is not about asking every SME to see itself as a farm. It is about showing how one Irish business is using new energy thinking to protect what matters today, while making practical plans for what comes next.