Which bills have energy price rises pushed up?

Energy price hikes in Northern Ireland have brought the cost-of-living squeeze back into focus. Recent increases in gas and electricity tariffs are raising annual energy bills for households, especially as winter approaches. Companies say the rises reflect volatility in global markets and higher wholesale gas prices.

SSE Airtricity, the region’s largest gas supplier, increased tariffs by around 19% from Thursday for 200,000 homes and small business customers. For a typical household on the Belfast network and the western gas network, that means an annual gas bill will rise by about £172.

New increases announced

  • Share Energy has announced a 12.6% electricity price rise from today, adding £129 to the typical annual bill for 41,000 customers.
  • Firmus Energy has announced an 8.98% increase from October 1 for 77,000 homes and small business customers on the Ten Towns network, lifting the typical annual gas bill by around £87.

Firmus Energy’s latest rise follows a previous increase of 15.65% in July, showing that higher energy costs are not confined to a single supplier in the region.

What has market pressure meant for consumers?

Wholesale gas prices in the UK are said to have roughly doubled after attacks by the US and Israel on Iran. Raymond Gormley, head of energy policy at the Consumer Council, said the latest increases stem from higher wholesale energy costs driven by geopolitical developments in the Middle East, and warned that other unregulated suppliers could follow with similar moves.

Rising bills are affecting not only general household budgets but also more vulnerable groups such as students and low-income families. Demand has reportedly increased for free community events and warm public spaces in Belfast, with some older people spending the day in these venues.

Pressure is also visible in healthcare. Patients receiving palliative care at home are said to need more heating, different sleep patterns and essential medical equipment, increasing their energy use; some patients are reportedly giving up services that could improve their quality of life because they cannot afford the electricity bill.

Support and measures announced for consumers

From this month, households in Northern Ireland will receive a one-off £63 discount on electricity bills. No application is needed. Customers who pay by bank transfer will see the discount applied automatically, while those using prepayment meters will receive £63 in credit when they top up.

For prepayment meters, customers must avoid buying more than £112 of credit at once in order to receive the full discount in a single payment. Because the meters can accept payments of up to £175, the £63 support may be split across the next top-up if that limit is exceeded.

A separate means-tested scheme has also begun issuing £100 vouchers to some heating oil users. Two-thirds of homes in the region use fuel oil for heating, and the price of 500 litres of home heating oil has risen to about £560, more than doubling compared with the same period last year.