An energised debate

After nearly two years of soaring energy costs, Pinergy has become the first supplier in Ireland to reduce its prices since elevated wholesale costs began to fall on international markets. The company announced it will cut electricity prices from March 31 by 7.1%, equivalent to €183 off an estimated annual bill. The move has led to expectation among consumers that other providers will do the same. The Anglo-Celt’s MICHEAL KEAVENEY took to the streets of Cavan Town to find out how people have been coping with the increased cost of living...

Lisa Duffy, Cavan Town

“My electricity bill has gone very high, without the government subsidy after Christmas, the first bill after Christmas would have been exceedingly high, in excess of €300, which would have been outside of our normal limit.

“Looking back over last year and the year before there has been a big increase in the two monthly bill for how much more we’re paying for electricity. It seems excessive considering the electricity companies are turning over such huge profit and yet ordinary households are being squeezed.

“Reductions in price are not being passed down. I shop around between different companies to get the best deal but costs are very high.

“They need to address the cost of electricity at the source. Subsidies are helpful but they need to address it at the source. Companies making huge profits is an issue. There is definitely price gouging going on.”

Sitosh Ittyarivah

“The cost of living has gone up a lot. My energy bill is through the roof. It works out at €6 per day, beforehand it was roughly €3-€3.50 per day. I started to notice the increases started around this time last year when the war in Ukraine started. The government subsidies have been a help. A friend of mine said their bill was €120-€150 but, even with the latest energy credit, it was still over €200. I’d like to see the credits continued.”

Arthur Walsh, Cavan Town

“I’m originally from Derry but I’ve been living in Cavan for 20 years. The price of energy is always a concern, things keep going up but you have to cope with it. I live on my own so I’m extremely careful about switching lights off, and pulling out plugs when I’m done. It makes things much more manageable. I notice a big difference in my bill when my family come to visit me, everything just goes up. I’ve still got the old habits from when I was younger when if we walked out of a room we were told to ‘get that light off’ or ‘plug that out’. It’s a habit that has stayed with me and stood to me.

“The money that the government just throws around the place at these problems, no matter how good it seems at the time, it’s never near good enough. They don’t have control over the bigger companies. I’ve never seen this level of escalation of prices before. I see it everywhere. I bought a few two litre cartons of milk and two containers of eggs and it cost me €9. Before all this started, it was less than half that price. It’s all out of control. I’ve been shopping around trying to keep an eye on stuff, I don’t think that nearly half the prices are justifiable, companies have jumped on the bandwagon. Everyone can accept a certain level of price increases and trying to be a bit more frugal. It’s out of control. I feel sorry for families, who are trying to look after young people.”

Sandra Donaghy, Bawnboy

“The cost of electricity has gone up, but it hasn’t had a massive impact on our lives. There are two of us in the house. We wouldn’t spend a lot on electricity because we’re not in the house that much, but compared to our previous bills it has definitely increased, which does mean less money for other stuff. I’m conscious of using certain appliances, the tariff - I’d put washing and the dishwasher on late at night, the night rate helps a little bit. I’ve definitely seen a noticeable increase. Things like energy credits help, that extra €200 towards the bill, can be put towards something else like a holiday in the summer.”

Sindija Skoreja, Cavan Town

“My energy bills are definitely more expensive. The bill has definitely gone up. It’s gone up by €50 per bill for just two people. My gas bill hasn’t really changed but that could be because I haven’t been using it that much, we’re lucky that it hasn’t been that cold this winter.”