CUSTOMERS of Power NI, Northern Ireland’s largest electricity supplier, will see a 10 per cent reduction in their bills from November 1.
The decrease in prices is in line with the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) bill support, provided by the UK Government, and will equate to a saving of £97 for the average customer.
According to the Consumer Council, Power NI was set to increase its tariff by 60.5 per cent from November 1, impacting over 471,000 households. However, this significant increase will now be offset by the government’s EPG initiative that will take effect for all domestic energy consumers on the same date.
“Although we now must substantially increase our underlying price to reflect the current market, the implementation of the EPG will mean our customers will see a reduction in their billed tariff level of 10 per cent,” William Steele, Power NI Customer Solutions director, said.
The EPG was to be for two years, but will now only be in place for six months just to cover this winter, new chancellor Jeremy Hunt said on Monday. It will still apply to every domestic consumer’s electricity bills regardless of their supplier.
“Thankfully, the government’s EPG has helped avoid what would have otherwise been a very large price increase for Power NI customers on November 1, 2022. Instead, Power NI customers will experience a welcome reduction in their bills as will all other domestic electricity consumers,” Peter McClenaghan, director of infrastructure and sustainability at the Consumer Council said.
Fermanagh and Omagh District councillor Adam Gannon of the SDLP welcomed the move but believed more help was needed.
“The electricity price reductions brought about by the EPG are very welcome as we head into the winter months. Despite this piece of good news people and families are facing financial pressure from every angle and much more work needs to be done,” he said.
“That’s why the SDLP have proposed that 1,000 litres of home heating oil should be given to every household and legislation to stop penalties for those struggling to pay energy bills should be introduced.
“The electricity saving is welcome, but people need much more support and it’s not yet being provided.”
Even when the EPG is in place, energy bills will be higher than normal and some consumers in Northern Ireland could save hundreds of pounds per year simply by switching suppliers, the Consumer Council said.
To make the switching process easier the Consumer Council provides a free, independent, energy price comparison tool on our website (https://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/comparison_tool/begin) which compares every energy tariff available in Northern Ireland to help you get the best deal.
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