News
Homeowners Hit With Further Energy Price Hikes
7th September 2011
Homeowners in Northern Ireland have been presented with yet another energy price hike within the region this week. Gas supplier, Firmus Energy has announced that it is to increase its prices in areas outside of Belfast by 28.4% from October 1st. The increase will result in an increase to the average household bill, by £2.64 per week.
The news comes after Firmus Energy rival, Phoenix Gas, announced a price hike of almost 40% earlier this year. The cost of electricity has also recently soared within the region, with Power NI announcing an increase of 18.6% in August this year.
Such increases in energy costs have further highlighted concerns over the issue of fuel poverty, as many homes within Northern Ireland and, indeed, within the UK and Ireland on the whole, struggle to afford home heating costs.
Northern Ireland currently has the highest level of fuel poverty in the UK - a fact which has led several MLA's to highlight the issue to the executive in recent months. Pressure is continuting for the executive to develop a solution to the rising problem of fuel poverty and many feel that the Northern Irish government should use its resources to increase energy buying power for homeowners within the province. In addition, the executive is likely to continue feeling the pressure of enforcing the strictest pricing regulations possible on energy suppliers within the region.
However, while the latest price hikes in Gas and Electricity costs are unwelcome to many homeowners in Northern Ireland, households within the province still avail of the cheapest home heating oil prices in the UK. For the majority of off-grid energy customers within N.I, heating oil still remains the best alternative to gas, with solid fuel and LPG costs continuing to be uneconomic choices by comparison.
