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New research published today by the Consumer Council reveals that better understanding of consumers is required if Northern Ireland is to reach its net zero goals.

The Ofgem price cap to be announced today (25 May 2023) will not apply to Northern Ireland. Consumer Council Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability, Peter McClenaghan explains the differences between the energy markets in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and what consumers here should expect in the coming months.

The discretionary income of Northern Ireland’s lowest earning households fell by 47.2% over the last year, meaning they now have less than £19 per week to spend after their bills and living expenses.

Our data published today shows that home heating oil prices have steadily decreased this year.

We have issued advice for local consumers as energy price changes begin to come into effect.

Electric Ireland, Power NI, Budget Energy and firmus energy have recently announced changes to their tariffs.

Customers of all but one supplier will see their standard tariffs change from 1 April 2023, with the majority of bills increasing. 

This is happening because while wholesale energy prices are coming down, changes are being made to the level of the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) subsidy from Government.

Peter McClenaghan, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability, at The Consumer Council explained:

“Wholesale energy prices are coming down. However, from April 1st, Government is withdrawing the additional Energy Price Guarantee support local consumers have been receiving.

This means that some consumers’ bills will not reduce as much as initially advertised and some bills will increase when the updated Energy Price Guarantee rate is applied.

Consumers should consider what their tariff will be after April 1st to ensure they are on the best deal for their needs, as money can be saved by switching suppliers, moving between your existing suppliers’ tariffs, or changing billing method. Consumers on the highest tariffs could save around £600 by switching to the cheapest tariffs in the market.

The same change is not happening in the rest of the UK. This is because we have been receiving a higher level of Government support to make up for the fact that we began receiving assistance a month later. From 1 April Northern Ireland consumers will receive the same level of support as is being provided in GB.

It is essential consumers are given clarity about the price they will pay for their gas and electricity from April onwards. This is particularly important in the current climate, as our research shows most consumers in Northern Ireland are still really worried about home energy prices.”

Our free online Energy Price Comparison Tool, available at www.consumercouncil.org.uk/onlinetools  lets consumers see all available tariffs from all suppliers in one place. Consumers should use this tool regularly to check that they are on the best tariff for their needs, as it is likely that price changes will be announced in the coming weeks.

Our website also contains information on energy efficiency, and an overview of all financial help, grants, and schemes available to help with high energy costs. For further information visit www.consumercouncil.org.uk

With Easter just around the corner and the countdown on until the break, we are urging  those travelling over the holidays to plan ahead.

Electric Ireland will decrease its electricity tariff by 9.2% from 1 April 2023. This follows a 23.9% tariff increase on the 1 January 2023.

Northern Ireland’s largest electricity supplier, Power NI, is set to decrease its tariff by 16.2% effective 1 April 2023 for over 474,000 households.

firmus energy has announced today, 7 March 2023, a reduction of 18.84% to their regulated gas tariffs for domestic and small business customers in the Ten Towns area, and a 22.43% decrease in the Greater Belfast Network, effective from 01 April 2023.

It is important to note that this firmus energy announcement precedes an expected announcement by Government regarding the future level of EPG subsidy to energy bills. A reduction in the EPG subsidy would mean firmus energy customer bills do not reduce as significantly as announced today.

These are the second tariff decreases from firmus energy this year and will help ease the bills of their 110,500 domestic and small business gas customers across Northern Ireland.

For customers in the Ten Towns, this means the annual gas bill of a typical household with a credit meter will reduce by about £342 per year and customers with a prepayment gas meter (PAYG) will see their typical costs reduce by around £335 per year, not factoring in the new Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) rate.

For customers in the Greater Belfast Network, this means the annual gas bill of a typical household with a credit meter will reduce by about £439 per year and customers with a prepayment gas meter (PAYG) will see their typical costs reduce by around £433 per year, not factoring in the new EPG rate.

Raymond Gormley, Head of Energy Policy at the Consumer Council said: “These firmus energy tariff decreases in both the Ten Towns and Greater Belfast networks are welcome and will ease some of the pressure that customers have been dealing with for the last number of months.

However, we anticipate Government will reduce the level of Energy Price Guarantee support it is applying to all our energy bills meaning firmus energy customers’ bills may reduce by a lower percentage amount than the company has announced today.

Gas bills remain higher than last year, so we urge anyone who is struggling to pay their energy bills or top-up their meters to contact their supplier directly for help and support.”

We are currently running the ‘save money and energy campaign’ which sets out support and advice to help households save money on their bills this winter by reducing their energy usage through adopting energy efficiency measures. The advice and guidance, including an overview of all financial help, grants, and schemes that are currently available to consumers, is available at www.consumercouncil.org.uk/costofliving/energy

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We want to hear about your experiences of travelling at night in Northern Ireland. We are particularly interested in your perceptions about personal safety.