Electric Ireland customers have been urged to do one important thing ahead of new price hikes being introduced at the end of the month if they wish to save some extra money.
Customers will notice an increase in their bills from next month as the energy provider implements price hikes of 23.4 per cent for electricity and 24.8 per cent for gas from May 1.
As the cost of living crisis continues in Ireland, many people will be looking to reduce their energy consumption. However, customers have been advised to take one simple step to ensure they are not overcharged for their usage.
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The evening before the price change occurs, Saturday, April 30, customers should take a picture of their metre and make a note of the reading.
After doing this, customers can contact Electric Ireland to make sure they have the most accurate and up-to-date reading to prevent any additional costs.
If customers fail to do this, the next time their meter is read, the electricity used in April may be charged at the new increased price.
Instead of emailing or phoning Electric Ireland, you can also submit your reading online here .
This hike will equate to €24.80 a month on the average residential electricity bill and €18.35 a month on the average residential gas bill.
Commenting on this recent announcement, Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director, Electric Ireland, said: 'We are acutely aware that the rising cost of living is causing difficulty for households across the country.
"Unfortunately, the unprecedented and sustained volatility of wholesale gas prices over the last 12 months means that we now need to increase our prices.
"We delayed the increase as long as we could in the hope that wholesale prices would drop back to early 2021 levels, but regrettably this has not happened."
She added: " Electric Ireland had the lowest cumulative price rises in the past 12 months. We continue to deliver the best value we can and will maintain one of the lowest standard rates in the market, even after this increase.
"We know that this is unwelcome news, but international gas prices are beyond our control and have a huge impact on our costs.
"We appreciate this is a challenging time and are committed to helping any of our customers who experience financial difficulty.
"As always, we encourage any Electric Ireland customer who has difficulty in paying their energy bill to engage with us and we will work with them to put in place a manageable payment plan."
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