Electric Ireland raising gas and electricity bills for second time this year

Electric Ireland has announced an increase in gas and electricity bills from next month.

Electric Ireland is the supply division of ESB and has said that gas bills will increase by 29.2% and residential electricity bills by 10.9% from August 1.

The outlined increase ill equate to €13.71 per month on the average electricity bill and €25.96 on the average gas bill.

Read more: One thirds of Irish households ‘just making ends meet’ amid cost of living crisis

Electricity bills previously increased by 23.4% in March and gas bills by 24.8%.

Suzanne Ward, Interim Executive Director of Electric Ireland, said that the increase will be “unwelcome” to customers and that it had been delayed as long as possible.

She explained: “Unfortunately, the situation in Eastern Europe and a reduction in the reliability of gas flows has resulted in sustained higher energy costs throughout Europe.

“We have seen a very substantial increase in the cost of wholesale gas, which in turn, impacts both our gas and electricity prices.”

Electric Ireland has pledged €3m to its “hardship fund” which operates in autumn for customers who experience difficulty with paying bills.

Suzanne Ward also said that Electric Ireland offers flexible payment plans for those who are struggling to pay their energy bills.