Tech Review – Skullcandy Grind HAZE limited edition earbuds

The Skullcandy Grind HAZE are the latest on offer from the company who has been dishing out some really cool collaborations over the last while and it does not seem like it is stopping anytime soon either and we say let it continue to bring something different to the market albeit updated models of past but we love it and the 420 friendly earbuds are the newest and affordable and not shy on features either and after my testing the last while they get my approval and not only that they look cool to boot.

You can see the full unboxing if you missed that to get an idea of what to expect should you wish to pick these up but be quick.

The case these come with is cool with a somewhat transparent lid with a beige colour case which I think complements each other well and also well built, the case is pocketable too and does not get dirty with a matt finish and draws attention like the earbuds themselves.

Yes the earbuds also draw attention with several colours and a cloth like material on them which makes it easy to remove from the case and this is a good idea I think as some earbuds have been known to be tricky to remove from the case over my years of testing but not here, there is LED lights on each side and the outer part has a purple and orange tone which all blends in well and not only that they fit well too and again this is down to you on deciding the right tips to suit your ears.

Skullcandy Grind HAZE – techbuzzireland

How do they sound? Well as expected they sound great as all Skullcandy earbuds do from my testing and no features dropped over the aesthetics here which is good we have all the features as expected and more and the bonus here is Skull IQ which we have spoken about several times here which just makes life super easy by calling out the commands rather than fuss about with your phone or even the earbuds themselves, the controls on the earbuds are excellent too and again we go through this and the app in the video review below.

The sound is great as expected no lag latency nice volume highs lows and mids no distortion on max volume and in general well balance and of course you have the app to set these up to your liking too, you have a decent battery life too and not forgetting all the features packed in here for the money if you want a flashy case and pair of earbuds you need to check these out.

 

The App

 

Product specs:

Limited-Edition Grind HAZE True Wireless Earbuds – £69.99 MSRP

  • Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology – Issue simple, hands-free voice commands to take calls, change tracks, adjust volume, turn on Stay-Aware Mode, activate device assistant, launch Spotify Tap, and more

  • Over-the-Air Updates – Update earbuds via the Skullcandy App to add new features for enhanced functionality and to extend the life of the earbuds

  • Premium Audio Quality – Experience supreme sound thanks to expertly-tuned acoustic drivers, dual noise-reducing microphones for natural and clear call quality and a noise-isolating fit

  • Up to 40 Hours of Battery Life – Listen longer with 9 hours of battery life in the earbuds and 31 hours in the charging case

  • Personal Sound – Tune your audio experience to your unique hearing ability via the Skullcandy App by taking a real-time audio test to create a Personal Sound Profile for optimized audio levels

  • USB-C Rapid Charging Case – For 10 minutes spent in the case, receive 2 hours of battery life

  • Auto On/Connect – Enjoy automatic turn-on and pairing with the last device used

  • IP55 Sweat and Water Resistance – Go on any adventure without missing a beat

  • Built-in Tile™ Finding Technology – If an earbud is misplaced, simply ‘ring’ it from the Tile app

The Grind Haze can be bought for £69.99 MSRP on Skullcandy.com

Video review

94% of businesses in Ireland suffer from IT skills shortages despite tech layoffs

Expleo, a global technology, engineering and consulting service provider, today announces the results of a new survey which has found that 94% of businesses on the island of Ireland are struggling to find IT staff, despite recent layoff announcements from many of the world’s largest tech companies. The research found that business leaders believe that the issue is widespread, with nearly three-quarters (74%) saying that Ireland is struggling to attract top technology talent.

Expleo carried out independent research* of 141 business leaders on the island of Ireland and found that organisations face internal and external challenges when it comes to tech talent. Most (86%) business leaders believe their organisations have under-invested in the skills base of their employees. A further 74% believe that automation must be part of their organisation’s solution, as there simply won’t be enough skilled people to get the necessary work done.

As they struggle to recruit and retain talent, the vast majority (83%) of business leaders are finding themselves under pressure to meet rising salary expectations amid ongoing inflation. More than one-third (38%) said that candidates are receiving salary offers that are 20% higher, or more, elsewhere.

The ease at which employees can change jobs to take on a more senior role or receive a higher salary is a key challenge for business leaders, along with their ability to meet employee expectations regarding modern workstyles. The research found that the top challenges when it comes to attracting and retaining tech talent are: offering a better work/life balance and reduced workload (47%), offering competitive promotion and career advancement opportunities (36%), and meeting expectations relating to flexible or remote working arrangements (35%).

As they continue to be challenged by IT skills shortages, 70% of business leaders on the island of Ireland say these shortages are impacting their business and transformation plans, with one in five saying they are having a significant impact.

To address the issue, more than one-third (38%) of businesses are now outsourcing more functions to third parties or consultants. Internal measures, meanwhile, include investing in external training for staff (42%), hiring more for remote roles (39%) and adopting hyperautomation principles to automate as many business processes as possible (39%).

Paul O’Malley, Chief Operating Officer, Expleo Ireland, said: “Our research highlights that business leaders in Ireland are acutely aware of the role that technology talent plays in their growth and success. With this in mind, and despite some very high-profile layoff announcements in recent months, businesses are continuing to struggle to find and retain the IT talent that will be pivotal to their – and the economy’s – future.

“While organisations can only do so much when it comes to external pressures such as inflation and salary competition, our research shows that businesses who are suffering from IT talent issues must take a bolder approach and tackle this issue head-on. We can see that business leaders in Ireland are open to this, with almost three-quarters saying that part of the solution lies in automation, while others are outsourcing more functions.

“At Expleo, we are helping businesses with the successful blending of internal and external expertise. In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, business leaders are under increasing pressure to keep their organisations ahead of the curve to remain competitive. By providing them with the best technology solutions, teams and talent – such as highly-skilled software teams or agile pods – we are ensuring that businesses are equipped with the right resources to work on the right projects, at the right time.

“With such an overwhelming majority of business leaders admitting that their company has under-invested in the skills base of their employees, now is the time to pave the way to a successful, sustainable future by investing in employees, their potential and their wellbeing.”

Top Strategies for Optimizing Your YouTube CPM as a New Content Creator

Being a newcomer on YouTube is associated with learning and brainstorming. When you become a content creator, your primary purpose is to increase your earnings. And knowing how to calculate and increase YouTube CPM rates is the first step you can take to move toward your goal. No matter whether you already have a channel or just plan to start it, the strategies and tips we’ll discuss will help you. Become a top creator from advertisers’ point of view with us. 

Find a Profitable and In-demand Niche

Selecting a niche with high advertiser demand significantly impacts your YouTube CPM rates. If the theme or niche is popular among people, it becomes more profitable in advertisers’ eyes. As a result, they’ll be ready to pay more for ad placements. 

Research popular niches and corresponding CPM rates to identify better topics. This targeted approach can help you concentrate on content that maximizes your earnings while growing your channel.

Focus on Countries with High CPM

Geographic location is another factor influencing CPM rates. Advertisers often allocate different budgets for various regions based on purchasing power and target audience preferences. Analyzing audience demographics can help you identify high CPM regions like the United States, Canada, and Western European countries. By tailoring your content to appeal to viewers in these areas, you can potentially increase your ad revenue and optimize your YouTube CPM rates.

Make SEO-Optimized Content

Incorporating relevant keywords and providing accurate information increases the likelihood of your content appearing in search results and suggested videos. As your organic reach expands, more viewers will engage with your content, making it more attractive to advertisers. Increased visibility and engagement can lead to higher CPMs, as advertisers are often willing to pay more to target popular and easily discoverable content.

Analyze Your Performance

Regularly monitoring your CPM rates, audience demographics, and content performance is essential to optimize your YouTube CPM effectively. By tracking these metrics, you can identify trends and pinpoint areas for improvement, such as targeting specific regions, adjusting your content strategy, or refining your video metadata. Utilize these data-driven insights to make informed decisions that will enhance your CPM over time. Continual analysis and optimization can increase your channel’s ad revenue and sustainable growth.

Look for Additional Ways of Monetization

Targeting one income source is a big mistake. It’s crucial to explore additional monetization methods to supplement your ad revenue:

  • sponsored content;
  • affiliate marketing;
  • merchandise sales. 

Diversifying your income sources enhances your financial stability and reduces your dependency on fluctuating CPM rates. It’ll give you more time to work on your content and deliver the highest-quality content. A loyal audience you built will be grateful for your effort. This financial independence allows you to navigate the competitive YouTube landscape more confidently and sustainably.

The Bottom Line

These optimization strategies we discussed are effective enough, but high quality is obligatory. Producing content that aligns with advertiser preferences will result in attracting premium ads and higher CPMs. Avoid content that doesn’t comply with the platform’s guidelines even though it’ll be demanded by the audience. Prioritize producing well-researched, polished, and informative videos. Finally, test different strategies for your content and its promotion to achieve the best result.

Getting emails from Just Eat saying you ordered food when you didn’t? You are not the only one

So there I was at home eating my dinner today and my phones go off with a message and it was from Just Eat and I am like WTF is this I did not order food and why would I when sitting down at my table and nobody has access to my account.. Then the next obvious thing is that came to mind.. Scam.. Nope! Next of all my partner gets the email and I started laughing and said OK they must be hacked and then my DMs on social media had several messages about the same thing and I began to wonder..

So here is the story lads it is not a scam they have not been hacked and all is fine according to Just Eat Ireland but then I had a look on social media and people in the UK are now having the same issue. So what it is after checking is backlogged emails from your last orders and ours here was last Friday even though we already got the said emails but it still looks fishy..

So I checked my partners orders and asked others to do the same whilst I got in touch with the company here in Ireland and here is what they told me.  So hopefully this will be fixed soon and all is OK and not a scam for once. We hope that it is just a bug. So if you do get the email check your last order and the order number and so on should tally up. Let us know if you got the email.

 

HONOR Launches for the first time in Ireland with the HONOR 70 Lite

Global technology brand HONOR today announced the launch of the HONOR 70 Lite in Ireland. The latest HONOR 70 Lite is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G Mobile Platform, a best-in-class camera system and a stylish design, as well as a high-capacity 5000mAh battery to deliver a smooth user experience all day long. Combining a balanced performance and advanced camera system, the HONOR 70 Lite sets a new benchmark for affordable smartphones, now available in Ireland, exclusively in Three stores nationwide and on Three.ie from €199.99.

Stylish Design with an Immersive Display

While the flat-edge design brings a sharp look to the device, the HONOR 70 Lite features rounded corners on all four sides to deliver a comfortable grip, making it a delight to use and carry around in your palm. With the side-mounted fingerprint scanner, the HONOR 70 Lite brings a quick and secure way to easily unlock your phone.

The HONOR 70 Lite has a 6.5-inch HONOR FullView Display to bring users a clear and vibrant display for viewing photos, videos, movies and more. Certified by TÜV Rheinland, the smartphone has built in technology to effectively reduce harmful blue light. With a screen refresh rate of up to 90Hz – higher than most devices in its price range – the HONOR 70 Lite delivers smooth visuals for a superior gaming and browsing experience.

Advanced Photography and Videography Performance

Alongside an 8MP Front Camera, the HONOR 70 Lite boasts a class-leading 50MP triple rear camera system comprising a 50MP Main Camera, a 2MP Macro Camera and a 2MP Depth Camera. With compelling photography capabilities, the HONOR 70 Lite enables users to capture images in vivid detail, even for night shots and all-important selfies.

Enabling users to produce captivating video content, the HONOR 70 Lite features Dual-View Video recording which captures dual perspectives using the front camera and the rear camera at the same time, giving users even more options and flexibility to express their creativity.

 Powerful Performance Enabled by Qualcomm Snapdragon Chipset

The HONOR 70 Lite uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus 5G Mobile Platform to deliver truly global 5G performance. Offering enhanced connectivity and processing speeds, the HONOR 70 Lite enables users to enjoy seamless communication and productivity at all times.

Equipped with HONOR RAM Turbo on a 4GB RAM model, the HONOR 70 Lite converts 3GB of storage into RAM, respectively, which expands the RAM to deliver a smoother operating experience. HONOR RAM Turbo prevents background processes from getting terminated when users switch between apps, allowing users to run apps faster without relaunching them.

Long-lasting Battery Life for All-day Connectivity

The HONOR 70 Lite packs an ultra-large 5000mAh battery to power users through the day. On a single charge, the device delivers up to 19 hours of online video playback, 26 hours of music streaming, 14 hours of gaming, or 52 hours of calls enabling users to stay online and entertained all day long. Users can easily keep the HONOR 70 Lite powered with 22.5W Wired HONOR SuperCharge with HONOR’s fast charging and battery optimization technology, for a whole day of daily use.

User-centric Features for a Smooth Smartphone Experience

Thanks to a large built-in storage of up to 128GB, the HONOR 70 Lite can keep more than 28,000 pictures, 11,000 songs or 450 HD videos locally on the device. The HONOR 70 Lite also supports microSD cards up to 1TB in capacity, making it extremely convenient for users to save and access files without the worry over insufficient storage space.

Running the Android 12-based Magic UI 6.1, the HONOR 70 Lite offers a range of smart features such as HONOR Share for speedy wireless file transfers across different devices, helping users to achieve higher productivity.

Bond Zhang, CEO at HONOR UK and Ireland, said: “HONOR has seen great success in the UK market over the last decade, and I’m really excited to be able to bring our great products to Ireland, including the HONOR 70 Lite.”

Bond continued: “As a global tech brand, HONOR is always looking for ways to expand into new markets, and Ireland is a really exciting step for the HONOR business in that journey.”

Shane O’Brien, Head of Devices, Three Ireland and Three UK said “At Three, we are committed to bringing innovation to the marketplace and this exclusive partnership with HONOR is another example of providing customers with more options at great value.  We have seen how successful this device has been in the UK and we know this will impress Irish users. As Ireland’s fastest and most consistent 5G network, we are excited to work with HONOR as they look to continue their global expansion”

Pricing and Availability

The HONOR 70 Lite will be available in Midnight Black, and from today will be available from Three Ireland with prices starting from just €199.99.

For more information, please visit https://www.three.ie/buy/phones.html#honor.

 

Unlocking the Power of AI: Enhancing Efficiency in IT Staff Augmentation

Imagine that your development team works almost twice as efficiently and fast with the same investment. It’s now not just the fantasy, but a good tone, taking into account the fact that a good deal of routine work can be done by the helper AI, which disrupted the global tech industry on all levels. According to a Gartner report, AI staff augmentation will generate $2.9 trillion in business value and save 6.2 billion hours of worker productivity by 2025.

Geniusee offers AI staff augmentation services to help you get top-notch code that’s both powerful and affordable. With our experience and proven track record, we can empower your team and products to boost business processes. In the article, we’ll take a closer look at how AI is improving IT staff augmentation services and what is leading the way with AI-based staffing solutions.

What is AI Staff Augmentation?

AI staff augmentation refers to the process of hiring AI professionals or teams to augment and enhance a company’s existing workforce. The main goal of AI staff augmentation is to fill gaps in knowledge, expertise, or capacity within an organization by bringing in skilled professionals to work alongside existing employees.

You can use AI staff augmentation to support a range of your business functions, including data analysis, natural language processing, machine learning, and software development. It can be an effective way to quickly bring in specialized skills and knowledge without investing in long-term training or recruitment.

Benefits Of AI Staff Augmentation For Your Business

Access to specialized skills

Just like with IT staff augmentation, AI staff augmentation allows you to access technical skills and expertise that might not be available in-house. This means you can work with top AI talent worldwide rather than being limited to your local area.

Increased productivity.

With AI staff augmentation, you can automate many repetitive and time-consuming tasks, allowing your team to focus on more complex and high-value work. It can lead to a significant increase in productivity and output.

Cost savings 

By using AI staff augmentation, you can avoid the costs associated with hiring and training new employees. Additionally, you only pay for the services you need, so you can avoid wasting money on underutilized staff.

Improved efficiency

AI staff augmentation can help you optimize your business processes and workflows, improving efficiency and reducing costs. With AI handling many of the routine and mundane tasks, your human staff can focus on higher-level work that requires creativity and problem-solving skills.

Faster time-to-market 

With the help of AI staff augmentation, you can speed up your product development and delivery processes. AI can help you analyze data, identify trends, and make predictions faster and more accurately than humans, giving you a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Scalability

AI staff augmentation allows you to scale your operations up or down as needed without worrying about hiring and training new staff. This means you can quickly respond to changes in demand or market conditions without incurring the costs and risks associated with expanding your workforce.

Improved customer experiences: AI can help you provide personalized and efficient customer experiences, from chatbots that can answer basic customer questions to AI-powered recommendation engines that suggest products or services based on customer preferences and behavior.

Accelerating Software Development with the Help of AI

Below Geniusee experts described some examples of how our developers use AI to improve every stage of software development and enhance business processes the same time.

Requirements management

Poor requirements management can significantly contribute to project delays, costs, and failure. To mitigate this risk, some vendors use digital assistants that use natural language processing and well-established rules to review requirements documents. These tools can identify inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and weaknesses such as incomplete requirements, missing units or tolerances, compound requirements, and escape clauses. 

Project management

Several startups have introduced tools that use advanced analytics to analyze data from a large number of previous software projects and predict the technical tasks, engineering resources, and timelines required for new software projects. This helps businesses enhance project management by using AI. It can improve project execution and planning.

Coding process

AI code completion tools suggest code snippets as developers type, reducing keystrokes by up to 50%. AI-powered code-review tools identify bugs and suggest code modifications automatically by comprehending code intent and recognizing common errors. For instance, Facebook’s bug-finding tool predicts and suggests solutions correctly 80% of the time.

Testing

Automated testing tools have long been used to run test scenarios created by quality assurance analysts. With artificial intelligence, tests can now be executed and test cases generated automatically, enabling more comprehensive testing and saving time for analysts.

Deployment

AI-powered tools can help anticipate deployment failures by analyzing data such as application logs and previous code release statistics. This can speed up root cause analysis and recovery in case of a failure.

AI revolutionizes the IT industry, resulting in increased efficiency, precision, and cost-effectiveness. Geniusee is leading this transformation by offering advanced AI-based development solutions to companies. By utilizing AI-driven approaches, you can easily fulfill your daily business operation in a more secure and scalable way. Are you interested in finding a more cost-effective approach to software development? The Geniusee team is here to empower your business processes with the help of AI tools. We have extensive experience using augmented coding on numerous projects, and we’re excited to help you leverage this technology to improve your own. Do not stay still! Take your business to the next level with Geniusee!

 

Tech Review – Jabra Elite 4

The Jabra Elite 4 are a familiar looking pair of earbuds which comes from their current portfolio keeping things clean as usual and inline with past models making them fit right in on the range at an affordable price and these are aimed at those who want a seamless connection offering multipoint connection, fast and swift pair so moving between devices such as laptops and phones which many of us do today and effortless experience and this is what you get with these affordable earbuds and they do not lack in features either.

As mentioned the design is not new and consistent with past models so they fit well with the right tips which you should always check and also go through the sound test in the sound plus app to get them set up to your satisfaction. We have buttons again each side rather than touch sensitive controls which I prefer and these work well and always have with Jabra anyway so it is a win there.

Calum MacDougall, SVP at Jabra, said: “The modern earbud user is looking for tech that’s ready for work and play at their fingertips, whilst not compromising on key features. The Elite 4 offer a solution to this and is the perfect all-rounder, designed to help users to concentrate, connect, and call without distractions. It is the ideal companion to balance work and life.”  

So is the above correct? Well in short it is and we share how we found these new Elite 4 overall..

When it comes to sound you get the same quality and features as we have previously seen which is no surprise and there is not much to complain about in fact there is nothing on my findings and sometime of testing the sound is great and as expected alongside with call quality which was clear both ends. You have your controls at hand to customise them and also the app to customise the sound profiles and create your own and we will go through this in the review, what is different this time is the actual level of customising the buttons when it comes to controls as they are fixed this time rather than you being able to change them as you will see below and in the full video review after that.

So some may feel a bit inconvenienced because the controls are fixed this time around but the thing is all the controls are there as you would have seen in past earbuds only fixed but those familiar with Jabra might be a bit more custom to setting their own up and in reality it is not a huge deal being honest you have great sound as before great call quality and a long standing brand that delivers all the time with earbuds.

No lag latency was notice at all as expected decent volume too and for gaming they passed the test as many earbuds now cater for both audio and call fans and now gamers is a new feature we now see more of in earbuds. You have aptX but no AAC here too which is an ask people like in general and the battery life here is not the greatest in the world which is up to 28hrs with ANC off depending on your personal settings however as a whole at the price they come in at you cant really complain. There is no wireless charging which is a cost cutting measure but unlike me it is still something not massively adopted here and no big deal either.

If you are on a budget and do not want to fork out on the next tier or earbuds these fall into the mid-tier section but have good attributes gearing toward higher end and do not sound cheap either with no distortion on sound at max volumes. You can also use one earbud at a time too which is handy and something I do quite often these days. Check the video review below for more.

The App

 

Key features of the Elite 4:  

·                     Bluetooth® Multipoint means seamless switching between calls and apps 

·                     Fast Pair and Swift Pair ensure instant connections to laptops/phones 

·                     Active Noise Cancellation blocks out background noise 

·                     Comfortable fit for all-day wearing 

·                     4-microphone technology for optimised call clarity 

·                     Up to 22 hours total battery with ANC on (28 hours ANC off) 

·                     Go solo feature to use either earbud for listening or taking calls while the other charges 

·                     Spotify Tap playback 

·                     Qualcomm® aptX unlike competitors 

·                     IP55-rated rainproof protection, plus 2-year warranty 

BUY

Video Review 

Circle K launches own brand range of EV chargers

Circle K, Ireland’s largest forecourt and convenience retailer, has announced it is launching a new range of own brand electric vehicle (EV) chargers across its network over the next two years. Circle K will invest a total of €7 million to install EV chargers at over 30 Circle K forecourts across Ireland by 2025.

This investment enhances Circle K’s existing network of EV chargers, which is already the most extensive across the Irish forecourt and convenience retail industry, through its strategic partnerships with ESB, IONITY and Tesla, with chargers located at 42 service stations.

Circle K’s first two own brand EV charge points have opened at Circle K Junction 5, M9, Rathcrogue, Co. Carlow, and Circle K Junction 14, M8, Gortore, Fermoy, Co. Cork. These first two locations will offer charging speeds of up to 300kW, with future chargers to offer 150kW, giving EV drivers the ability to easily charge their vehicles quick and conveniently.

With EVs at the heart of the Irish Government’s plans to decarbonise the transport sector, as outlined in the Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022 – 2025, Circle K is committed to supporting this strategy through the enhancement of its own EV charging network and growing the EV charging infrastructure nationwide.

Commenting on the launch, Gordon Lawlor, Managing Director of Circle K Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be launching our new network of Circle K EV chargers, which will add to our existing EV charging offering provided through our partnerships with the ESB, IONITY and Tesla. Today’s announcement builds on our existing EV offering and confirms our ambition to support Irish motorists in their transition to electric vehicles, helping support the Government’s EV targets. We are excited to introduce our new high-speed, reliable, strategically placed charging points and look forward to welcoming customers to our locations.”

“EV is something we have been extremely focussed on for a number of years. Being part of the Circle K global network means we have access to the very latest thinking and key developments on EV charging, especially from our colleagues in Norway who are leading the way in terms of electrification. This, coupled with our expertise locally, puts us in a very strong position to support our customers. We intend to use this expertise in the years ahead to continue adding chargers to our network.”

Jonathan Diver, Senior Director Fuels at Circle K Ireland, commented: “We understand the Government’s goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and we’re committed to developing our business to support this, with EV playing a key role in achieving this target. We believe we have an important role to play in ensuring a smooth transition to EV usage in this country and plan to roll out a strategic network of EV chargers over the next seven years across Ireland.”

Speaking at the launch of Circle K’s new own brand EV chargers, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD said: “It is great to be here at the launch of Circle K’s new network of EV chargers. Ensuring motorists have easy access to charging facilities across the country will play a key role in our transition away from internal combustion engine vehicles. Today’s announcement will support the Government’s goal of rapidly increasing the number of publicly accessible chargers across Ireland and will help to give even more motorists the confidence to make the switch to an electric vehicle.”

Broadcaster Richie Sadlier was at Circle K Junction 5 M9 to officially launch Circle Ks own range of EV chargers. Richie concluded: “I’m delighted to be at Circle K Junction 5 M9, Rathcrogue today to celebrate the launch of Circle K’s own range of EV chargers. I’ll be on the road covering football matches and school talks in the coming months, so it’s great to know that EV chargers are conveniently located at Circle Ks around the country”.

Open 7 days a week and with some facilities open 24 hours, Circle K is a safe and convenient place to charge, offering motorists a large and varied offer of fresh food, beverages and snacks to enjoy while charging their car, as well as toilet facilities and free WiFi.

To locate Circle K’s EV chargers, you can visit Find a Circle K Petrol Station in Ireland | Circle K

SSE Airtricity launches new ‘first and best in market’ solar installation offering

SSE Airtricity, together with partners Activ8, have launched a new solar product that will ensure customers are paid a market leading 34c per kWh for excess solar energy produced and exported back to the grid.

New and existing SSE Airtricity customers who have had their solar panels installed with Activ8 from April 13, 2023, will be eligible to be paid a premium of 10 cent per kWh exported on top of the current 24 cent export rate, for two years.

The product launch comes as the Irish government abolished the rate of VAT for domestic solar installations from May 1, 2023. This offer complements the existing range of energy solutions SSE offers customers, providing easy access to green energy and improving energy efficiency in homes across the country.

Solar panel installations have many benefits:

  • Households can save up to 50% on energy bills and generate up to 80% of their hot water needs.
  • Surplus energy generated through a typical solar PV install can be exported back to the energy grid, putting money back in customers’ pockets and providing more renewable electricity for Ireland’s energy system.
  • The majority of installations are completed in one day with minimal disruption to the household.
  • As an SSE Airtricity customer, a new installation will earn an export rate of 34 cent per kWh. That is a 10 cent premium versus the standard rate of 24 cent per kWh.

Helen Ryan, from County Louth, who had her solar installation completed recently with Activ8, said:

“We decided to install solar panels to help save on our electricity bills as well as wanting to produce renewable energy on our own. We have a gas boiler, so being able to generate so much hot water was also a massive reason as to why we went with solar panels.

“We have noticed a big difference in our bills, even for the months of January, February and March. Our electricity bills are currently 30% of what they were and that’s not accounting for our savings on gas with our hot water production from the solar panels. It’s funny how we changed our usage behaviours so quickly after installation too. My parents are awaiting a survey now after seeing our panels in action, so I would definitely recommend them.”

Klair Neenan, Director at SSE Airtricity said:

“As a company with green in our DNA, we know that customers want easy access to green energy solutions that help them and the environment. At SSE Airtricity we want to empower our customers and be their one stop shop for all energy related matters. With 0% Vat and up to €2,400 available in SEAI Grants, there has never been a better time to invest in renewable solar energy and offset rising energy costs. Families and households can generate their own electricity for their home and lower their bills, all while contributing to the ultimate goal of net zero.”

This offer is available for all new solar installations (from April 13, 2023), visit www.sseairtricity.com for more information.