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Starting from 1 July, customers of Power NI and Firmus will experience an increase in their energy bills. Power NI is set to raise its electricity unit price across Northern Ireland by 6.2%, which will translate to an average rise of around £5 per month on household bills. Meanwhile, Firmus will increase its natural gas tariff for customers in the Ten Towns area by 15.65%, adding approximately £2.47 weekly, or £10.70 monthly, to the average household expenditure.
The companies have attributed these price hikes to rising costs in the global energy and gas markets. William Steele, Director of Customer Solutions at Power NI, emphasized that the decision to raise tariffs was not taken lightly. He stated, “We have worked hard to hold prices for as long as possible, but sustained increases in global gas costs, along with higher network and market-related charges, means unfortunately this increase is unavoidable.” Steele added that, despite these changes, Power NI has managed to keep tariffs competitive locally and below the average rates seen in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
David Smith, director at Firmus, also commented on the situation, acknowledging the current elevated wholesale prices influenced by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Smith highlighted that over the previous year, Firmus had reduced its tariffs on three occasions, amounting to a cumulative cut of over 27%, which saved customers an average of around £300 annually. While recognizing the unwelcome nature of the increase, he pointed out that household bills will now be “roughly the same as this time last year and still significantly below where they had been in previous years.”
Leigh Greer, head of security of supply and markets regulation at the Utility Regulator, expressed sympathy for consumers facing the rising energy costs. Greer explained that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has caused sustained global increases in wholesale energy prices, which have had a ripple effect on home heating oil, petrol, and diesel prices. Raymond Gormley from the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland stated that the gas price increase was “inevitable” and warned of potential further rises. Gormley mentioned, “Another regulated gas tariff review is scheduled for October and if the conflict is not resolved very soon, we could see further gas price increases in the autumn.” The Consumer Council advised affected customers to consider switching payment methods, billing options, or suppliers to manage and reduce their energy expenses
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