TENS of thousands Electric Ireland customers in the north will see the price of powering their homes soar by 30 per cent from May 1.
The ESB-owned electricity supplier, which has 103,000 Northern Ireland customers, blamed the “continued market volatility and unprecedented increases in wholesale energy costs” for its third price hike since last August.
The Consumer Council said Electric Ireland customers on pre-payment meters will pay an extra £219 per year from May, taking the average annual bill to around £940.
That’s based on an estimate that the average household uses 3,200 units of electricity per year.
But it’s likely to be much higher for larger families and for many households using more electricity during peak daylight hours due to members switching to home working during the pandemic.
It’s just five months since Electric Ireland last put its prices up by 13.5 per cent in November. That followed a 10.2 per cent rise in August and a 3.7 per cent increase in February 2021.
