Northern Ireland

Latest energy price hikes will 'bring yet more dread and misery' to unpaid carers across NI

Substantial increases in the cost of electricity and gas from some suppliers came into effect on Saturday. Picture by Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Substantial increases in the cost of electricity and gas from some suppliers came into effect on Saturday. Picture by Peter Byrne/PA Wire Substantial increases in the cost of electricity and gas from some suppliers came into effect on Saturday. Picture by Peter Byrne/PA Wire

CONCERNS were raised last night that the latest energy price hikes will "bring yet more dread and misery for the tens of thousands of unpaid carers" across Northern Ireland.

Carers NI said unpaid carers were being "forced into increasingly desperate decisions to get by".

It comes as substantial increases in the cost of electricity and gas from some suppliers came into effect on Saturday.

SSE Airtricity, Budget Energy, Electric Ireland and Click Ireland all raised their electricity price by around a third, while gas from SSE Airtricity went up by 28 per cent.

Firmus Energy will increase its natural gas tariffs from today with customers in both the Greater Belfast and Ten Towns networks impacted by the price hikes.

There are over 290,000 people providing unpaid care to a sick or disabled family member or friend in Northern Ireland - one in five adults in the local population.

Unpaid carers save the health and social care system in Northern Ireland an estimated £4.6 billion each year in care costs.

Craig Harrison, policy manager for Carers NI, called for more help for unpaid carers impacted by the price hikes.

"This latest price hike will bring yet more dread and misery for the tens of thousands of unpaid carers who are already struggling to afford their energy bills and make ends meet," he said.

"Even before the cost of living crisis began to bite so viciously, many unpaid carers faced above-average heating bills to keep their sick or disabled loved ones warm round-the-clock, and with prices continuing to rise, many will worry about making it through the winter.

"Unpaid carers are being forced into increasingly desperate decisions to get by.

"They’re having to choose between paying their rent or filling up their oil tank, going hungry so their families can eat and sitting in the dark to save money on their energy bills.

"These are people who save the health service billions of pounds in care costs each year and the terrible situation many of them are living in should shame us all."

"Our unpaid carers need an Executive back in place to deliver a robust response to the cost of living crisis.

"Relying on bit-part solutions from the Treasury isn’t going to cut it any more and is no replacement for local ministers making decisions for local people."