Householders in financial difficulty will not have any energy disconnections this winter if they meet certain conditions, Minister for Energy Pat Rabbitte has said.
He revealed he had agreed with the energy companies, with the approval of the regulator, that electricity and gas would not be disconected if householders agreed to a pay plan or the installation of a pay-as-you-go meter.
Mr Rabbitte told the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture this afternoon that he was very concerned about the impact of gas and electricity price increases on vulnerable households, and he would shortly submit a memorandum to Government on an energy affordability strategy.
“Over the longer term, energy efficient and well insulated homes are a permanent and indeed most cost-efficient way of addressing fuel poverty,’’ he said.
