Increased protection against electricity disconnections planned as people fall into arrears

With many people slipping into arrears due to soaring energy costs, the chairperson for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has urged people to register as vulnerable customers to avail of protections in place. 

While price increases for gas and electricity announced by Bord Gáis on Tuesday are difficult, they reflect the underlying volatility of wholesale prices in the market, CRU chairperson Aoife MacEvilly acknowledged.

"Even with competitive pressures, the reality is we've got very high and volatile wholesale gas prices, which is putting upward pressure on prices," she said.

She urged people to ensure they are on the best tariff available and also to see if any discounts are available from their supplier. 

Bord Gáis Energy announced on Tuesday of this week that the average electricity bill will go up by 27% and the average gas bill will go up by 39%.

The company said this was due to the end of its  'winter price pledge', with the new charges to come into effect from 15 April.

Ms MacEvilly said there are protections in place for customers and people should register as a vulnerable customer if they need to.

She also urged people to  examine their bills to see if they can make savings by using some appliances at different times.

She said that arrears are growing and some customers are in real difficulties and the CRU is looking at enhancing protections, with actions including increased protections against disconnections and enabling customers to get onto payment plans.

"Some of the concerns we have is that maybe customers, for instance, don't read their bills and maybe aren't fully informed about how they use energy.

"All suppliers now offer Time Of Use tariffs for customers with smart meters. So you can think about how you might use energy in a different way, using cheaper electricity at night, for example, or at weekends to mitigate against the high prices," she said.

Measures can be taken to lower electricity costs, including using your washing machine after 6 pm, when lower tariffs apply. 

It is also worth turning down your heating thermostat to 18 degrees. 

Another tip shared recently was to add a second load to a tumble drier immediately after one had just finished, as the drier will already have heated up.