SSE Airtricity is upping customers’ electric bills by 33% with “increases in wholesale energy costs” blamed for the rise.
The firm made the announcement on Friday against a backdrop of soaring utility bills blamed on wholesale markets and the war in Ukraine.
The Consumer Council says the SSE rise will mean people on their ‘Standard’ tariff for both credit meter and keypad (PAYG) meter will see an £248 increase in their bills to just over £1,000 a year.
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SSE says the increase will be effective from June 1, “and means a typical customer will see costs rise by around £0.64 per day”.
The firm says they are also providing “additional supports for customers who have been adversely affected by the current energy crisis”.
A spokesman said: “This includes expanding its existing customer support fund by an additional £1 million to provide direct support to customers in difficulty. SSE Airtricity has also made a charitable donation of more than £825,000 to a trusted charity partner which will be used to support people who are struggling across the island with the increased cost of living due to rising inflation and global market conditions.”
Klair Neenan, Managing Director of SSE Airtricity, added: “Throughout winter, we worked hard to limit the local impact of the global energy crisis by absorbing record high wholesale energy costs, hoping to see pressure on prices ease. Sadly, this has not been the case and energy prices continue to demonstrate sharp volatility and upward pressure.
“Regrettably, this must now be reflected in our prices. We know this price change will be disappointing for our customers and not the news they want to hear. We will continue to watch the market carefully and, as we have done before, will look to reduce our prices as soon as it is possible to do so.”
The company boss says that last year they “began contacting customers who were experiencing financial pressure to provide support, including financial assistance, and establish a long-term plan to help them manage their energy needs”.
Klair added: “We are expanding those supports and will continue to support and engage with any customer who is finding it difficult to manage their energy costs.”
The Consumer Council also said that Budget Energy is set to increase prices by 27% from Friday, May 27.
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Peter McClenaghan, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability at the Consumer Council, added: “These price increases are the latest in a stream of bad news regarding the increasing cost of living in Northern Ireland. At the Consumer Council we listen to consumers daily and hear first-hand how upset, worried, and angry they are about price increases.
“While consumers get that these price increases are happening due global reasons, it doesn’t make it any easier for people to pay their bills, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances.
“If you are struggling to pay your bills, the first thing to do is contact your supplier directly for help and information. There are measures that can be put in place to help you. Unfortunately, prices are set to stay high for the foreseeable future so the Consumer Council will continue to push for significantly improved initiatives to help consumers who are experiencing payment difficulties.”
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