Householders are being stung again by rising electricity prices, with ESB hiking charges 12 per cent adding about €120 to annual bills.
The increase will hit the company’s 1.2 million customers from October 1st and follows similar rises by Bord Gáis and Airtricity earlier this summer.
The company, which has been rebranded to ESB Electric Ireland, said it regretted the increase which it blamed on a 40 per cent rise in international wholesale gas prices over the last year.
General manager Liam Molloy said: “We will continue to work with our customers who are facing difficulties in dealing with their electricity accounts.
“International energy prices have risen steeply over the past year and unfortunately we can no longer continue to absorb these increased costs without reflecting them in the prices we charge our customers.
“We have held off increasing electricity prices for as long as possible.”
Earlier this month Airtricity announced plans to increase gas tariffs by 21 per cent and electricity by 12 per cent from the end of next month, adding about €160 a year to household gas bills and about €144 on electricity.
Bord Gáis was given the all-clear by the energy regulator in July to hike its charges for household gas by 22 per cent from October. That adds about €160 to the average bill.
The company also put up its electricity charges 12 per cent that month, adding €144 to consumers’ bills.
ESB Electric Ireland said it had not increased its residential prices since August 2008 when it imposed a 17.5 per cent increase following record high oil prices.
A 10 per cent reduction took hold the following year.
The latest increase does not have to be approved by the energy regulator after the residential market opened for competition in April.
ESB Electric Ireland said it lost about 800,000 customers from 2010 after Bord Gáis and Airtricity undercut its prices.
Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said fuel poverty was a life and death issue for older people.
"Each winter in Ireland we have up to 2,000 excess winter deaths, many of whom of are older people dying of cold-related illnesses," Mr Timmins said. "While we still await the publication of the Government's fuel poverty strategy, the situation is getting worse and worse for older people. This is, quite literally, a life and death issue for some people in Ireland now."
Age Action called on Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton to explain what the Government is doing to protect the most vulnerable older people.
PA