The Consumer Council has issued advice as energy prices increases are set to come into effect in Northern Ireland over the next few days.
Price increases from providers Budget Energy, Click Energy, Electric Ireland, Firmus Energy, and SSE Airtricity are due to come into effect. The most recent of these price rise announcements is from Budget Energy, who announced a 32% increase earlier this month.
Peter McClenaghan, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability at the Consumer Council, said: “This week all but one energy company in Northern Ireland will apply large price increases to domestic consumer bills. These increases will heighten the cost-of-living pressure most Northern Ireland consumers are already experiencing.
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“We welcome the progress announced last week by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on the delivery of the Energy Bill Support Scheme and Energy Price Guarantee. However, even under the Price Cap, energy bills will remain hundreds of pounds higher than they have previously been."
Mr McClenaghan added that they're encouraging consumers to adopt energy efficiency measures to reduce their bills. He said this is particularly important as even with an Energy Price Guarantee, people may still face high bills if their energy use remains high.
He continued: "For those who can, we encourage consumers to try to reduce the energy they are using through adopting energy efficiency measures. This is particularly important because the Energy Price Guarantee, when it is implemented, will be a cap on the unit rate of energy; meaning you could still face bills over £2,500 if you use a lot of energy.
“We are acutely aware of the extreme pressures felt across all households, including consumers who use home heating oil. We have been engaging with BEIS and the Northern Ireland Office to represent consumers and outline the challenges heating oil consumers are, and will, face without further support.
“We urge anyone who is struggling to pay their energy bills or to top-up their meters to contact their supplier for support without delay. We also remind people to provide meter-readings to avoid receiving estimated bills, and to check they are on the best tariff and payment method for their needs."
Consumers can visit www.consumercouncil.org.uk/energyvideos to view animations created by the Consumer Council, the Department for the Economy and the Utility Regulator that explain why prices are increasing and provide information on how to save energy in their homes. Consumers can also call 0800 121 6022 to speak to an advisor.
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