With the deregulation of the home energy market in Ireland came an increase in hard sell tactics and expensive advertising campaigns.  In the UK – where there are many more energy suppliers – there is evidence of doorstep salesmen  pressurising consumers into signing up for unsuitable gas and electricity tariffs. MPs are calling for  energy companies to  pay compensation to customers who were mis-sold gas and electricity contracts.

In the UK the  energy regulator  estimates that 40% of people who switched did  not get a better deal. Here in Ireland doorstep and on-street sales are often used by some of the energy companies – sometimes using commission-only staff  who are under pressure to sell.  They can easily persuade potential customers that they are the cheapest – when the opposite might be true.

For the facts on energy prices – check out the cheapest gas prices here – and cheapest electricity prices here

Bord Gáis have confirmed they are increasing  residential electricity prices in Ireland by 12 %t from August 1st.    Bord Gais currently has around 435,000 residential electricity customers  – many of those will have switched from ESB in the past year to get lower prices.
The price rise  will add about  €120 a year to the average  Bord Gais electricity bill.

Bord Gais customers may think that they are getting the lowest price Electricity at the moment – but they may have missed out on the recent news of price drops by ESB – Electric Ireland which means that ESB are the cheapest supplier.  Bord Gais customers should be thinking of switching back to ESB – Electric Ireland .  ESB customers need to contact ESB to get moved to the lower rates – it is not automatic and will involve signing for Direct Debit and ebilling to get the lowest rates.

See  our page on the Cheapest Electricity Ireland

Over in the UK there have been recent announcements about energy price rises. British Gas  announced an 18 per cent price hike for gas and 16 per cent price increase for electricity. In June  Scottish Power said they would add 19 per cent to  electricity and 10 per cent to gas bills from August.

 Here in Ireland – it has been reported that Bord Gais  are going to  announce an electricity price increase of more than 10 per cent effective from Agust 2011. It is also reported to be  applying to the Commission for Energy Regulation for a gas price increase of between 20 and 30 per cent. (Possible to come into force in October 2011)

See our pages on the Cheapest Electricity Ireland and  Lowest Gas Prices in Ireland. We will update them as soon as increases happen.

ESB - or Electric Ireland – have introduced several new price plans that are a good bit cheaper than their standard rates. They are now also offering to take over supply of natural gas.
The lowest electricity and gas prices from ESB are for customers who pay by direct debit and opt for electronic billing. If  you are willing to do both – you will get the cheapest electricity in Ireland at the moment.
Existing customers need to switch price plans either online  Here or by getting ESB to call you -link here .  The lower prices will not be  automatically applied – you have to opt in to a new plan.
New customers – who previously switched to Bord Gais or Airtricity can switch back to ESB too.
Gas from ESB is not the cheapest  – but it is cheaper than Bord Gais

See our updated figures on who has the Cheapest Electricity and the Cheapest Gas

A new carbon tax of €15 Euro per Tonne was announced in the 2010 Budget. The tax will apply to Petrol and Diesel from midnight tonight.
Petrol will go up by 4.2c a litre and deisel by 4.9c a litre

The Carbon tax will apply from 1 May 2010 to Kerosene, Marked Gas Oil, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), Fuel Oil and Natural Gas. VAT will also be charged on the carbon tax.

From May 1st 2010 – the new carbon tax will result in  a price increase of Kerosene (Heating Oil) by  4.3 cent a litre including VAT.  This will mean an extra €43 Euro on 1000 litres – which is an increase of about 6.5%

Natural gas prices will rise by  €0.00307 per kWh consumed. With the average annual gas usage in Ireland around 25000 Kwh – this will mean an increase of  around  €76  a year on the average gas bill. (About 7%)
See Our Gas Price Comparison here  to see if you could save money on your gas bill.

The application of the tax to coal and commercial peat will be subject to a Commencement Order.

For some reason -  Electricity is not subject to the carbon tax!

Update – Carbon Tax to be doubled by 2014 as part of National Recovery Plan

From October 1st 2009 – all the electricity suppliers in Ireland have reduced their prices for residential customers. See the latest comparison of electricity prices here.
ESB , Airtricity and Bord Gais charges have all dropped by about 3%  with effect from October 1st 2009.
Bord Gais and Airtricity are still actively promoting their services and trying to persuade people to switch from ESB . In all cases – you can save money by switching from ESB. Someone using 800 units a month could save as much as  €215 Euro a year by switching . See Airtricity , Bord Gais and ESB comparison here .

An average price reduction of 10% on Electricity and  12% on Gas is on the way in  Ireland
The Irish CER (Commission for Energy Regulation) announced it’s proposal to get suppliers to drop fuel prices from  May 2009. The reduction has yet to be confirmed – but it applies to all suppliers including Bord Gais, ESB and Airtricity.

See our Electricity Price Comparison