Gas firm freezes prices

Thousands of firmus energy customers across Northern Ireland will be relieved following the announcement the company will be holding their current natural gas prices for a further twelve months.

The company, which slashed their domestic gas prices by more than 17 per cent last year, has revealed that following discussions with key stakeholders, their customers can budget with confidence in the knowledge that their energy costs will remain unchanged for a further 12 months.

Mark Prentice, Managing Director for firmus energy explains: “In February 2009 we made a unique promise to our customers that natural gas from firmus would continue to be cheaper than oil.

“We are delighted to confirm that over the last 12 months, our gas prices have been on average 25 per cent cheaper than oil. Taking into account the higher energy efficiency of a new gas boiler, this means a saving of over 434 per year for homes using natural gas compared to oil.

“Our price promise means that customers can connect for natural gas safe in the knowledge that their new gas system will be more efficient and their fuel bills will be lower.

“This price promise is critical for customers given the state of the economy following the recession and is particularly important for households experiencing fuel poverty.”

“We hope that our price freeze will be welcome news for everyone, but particularly for those on lower incomes where we know that the cost of fuel is a major issue.

“The daily fluctuations in the price of home heating oil, coupled with the fact that you often have to pay in one lump sum in advance for the oil you use, can make life very difficult for someone on a restricted budget.

“The choice of pre-payment meters, which have proved extremely popular for our natural gas customers, mean that households can pay for their gas as they use it, much like a pay-as-you-go mobile phone.

“And as natural gas is piped straight into customers’ homes, there is no risk of fuel being stolen or of forgetting to reorder it and running out.

“With the uncertainty of oil prices set to continue, our price promise to beat oil and our commitment to bringing our customers our lowest possible gas price coupled with exceptionally high levels of customer service, there has never been a better time for homeowners to make the switch to firmus energy.”