Mid Ulster gas users escape price hike

The Firmus increase from October will see householders in the Ten Towns network and Belfast forking up an extra £15.50 on an average bill.

This massive rise comes following a number of rises over the past year.

In a Facebook post SGN Natural Gas said: “Important update - Domestic customers in the SGN Natural Gas network area are all supplied by SSE Airtricity. The price increase announcement made by firmus energy on Tuesday 6th September does not apply to anyone who is connected on our network.”

In a statement this morning Firmus said the gas prices will be effective from October 3.

This means the annual gas bill of a typical household with a credit meter will rise by about £847 per year, those customers with a prepayment gas meter (PAYG) will see their typical costs increase by around £806 per year.

Raymond Gormley, Head of Energy Policy at the Consumer Council said: “Of all the recent energy price increases this announcement is the most shocking. We are facing into a very serious crisis this winter and we are angry and fearful on behalf of Northern Ireland consumers. Until recent times, a household’s typical annual bill was lower than the amount of this increase.

“Once this price rise takes place on 3rd October, consumer bills will be around four times the norm, highlighting why the Consumer Council has been calling for much more support for consumers. We know from speaking to consumers daily that many are choosing between heating and eating, and for some, neither is an option. It is really worrying to think how these consumers are going to cope over the winter months. Such high prices will make the coming winter miserable for many and life threatening for some.

“These increases, mainly due to the sustained high price of wholesale gas, follow well-publicised rises in home heating oil, electricity and grocery costs. This is extremely worrying news for consumers in vulnerable situations and low-income households. It also means a wider group of households than ever are having their budgets stretched ever further.”