How to contact your energy supplier if you’re unable to pay your bills

New figures from the Commission of Regulations for Utilities (CRU) have found that one-eighth of households are in energy arrears.

Although energy suppliers have announced moderate price drops in recent weeks, energy costs this winter are still expected to be around double normal levels.

If you are afraid that you may be disconnected from your gas or electricity supply this winter, fear not. The Commission of Regulations for Utilities (CRU) has protocols and supports in place to protect consumers from this happening once they inform their suppliers of their financial difficulties.

So if you are struggling to manage your bills, the first thing you need to do is contact your supplier as they will then be obliged to help create a realistic and affordable payment plan for you.

At bonkers.ie, we want to help you get on top of your bills as soon as possible. To assist you on this journey we have gathered the contact information of the different energy suppliers, so you can get on top of your bills and avoid being disconnected.

But first, let’s take a look at the support suppliers are obliged to provide you with.

Reaching out to your supplier

The sooner you get in touch with your supplier and inform them about your financial situation the better. This is because all suppliers have procedures set up to help support their customers who are struggling. 

For example, Bord Gáis Energy established a €1.25 million fund to support its struggling customers while Electric Ireland set up a €5 million Hardship Fund. As well as this, Electric Ireland is forgoing its profits from residential electricity for 2022. SSE Airtricity is also forgoing its profits from 2022 to assist its vulnerable customers. This has resulted in the supplier provisioning up to €25 million for its energy support programme.

As well as this, all suppliers are obliged by the CRU to:

• Have staff in place who are trained to deal with customers going through financial difficulties and who will lend a sympathetic ear 
• Help customers who are in genuine financial difficulty
• Arrange an alternative payment plan for your energy usage
• Only disconnect customers as a last resort. This can only happen once every possible avenue for repayment has been exhausted 

Once you’ve flagged your financial difficulties, your supplier must begin to arrange an alternative payment plan with you to help you manage your bills.

Payment plans for customers
This may include:

• Installing a Pay-As-You-Go meter at your home
• Setting up an alternative payment plan
• Working with agencies nominated by you to resolve your financial difficulties such as Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) or St. Vincent de Paul. 

Contacting your supplier

You can contact your supplier by phone, email, post or through their website. Contacting them by phone should be your first port of call. Depending on the supplier, they may even have a designated number set up specifically to help people who are struggling. 

When contacting your supplier, you may be asked to provide certain information such as your:

• Name
• Address
• Date of Birth
• Account number 
• MPRN (Electricity customers)
• GPRN (Gas customers)
• Most recent bill 

You should have this information organised and ready to provide to your supplier. This will help ensure that you can set up a payment plan faster as they will be able to find your account information. 

Top Tip: If possible you should have your most recent energy bill on hand with you and/or a meter reading, however, this is not a necessity. 

It’s important to note that if your supplier has signed up to the Energy Engage Code, they can not disconnect you from your gas or electricity supply once you are actively engaging with them to find a solution to your payment issues. 

The CRU has expanded its protections for energy consumers

Along with the CRU’s customer protection standards mentioned above, the CRU has expanded a number of measures to protect consumers in arrears and who are in danger of disconnection this winter. 

These expanded measures include:

• A better deal for those on Financial Hardship Meters: Suppliers must put the customers on these meters on the cheapest tariff available
• The extension of debt repayment periods: From November 1st, these plans will be extended to allow customers a minimum of 24 months to repay their debt

You can learn more about these measures and others such as the promotion of the Vulnerable Customer register and the reduction of debt burden on Pay-As-You-Go top-ups in this article. 

What is the Energy Engage Code?

Created in 2014 by the CRU, the Energy Engage Code is a voluntary code of practice for suppliers, designed to protect customers from disconnection. The code’s aim is to encourage customers to engage with their suppliers regarding the management of their debt. 

Suppliers who have signed up to this code of practice must commit to never disconnecting an engaging customer, i.e. a customer who is actively engaging with their supplier to find a solution to their unpaid bills. 

Suppliers currently signed up to this code are Electric Ireland, Bord Gáis Energy, Energia, Flogas, Pinergy, SSE Airtricity, and Yuno Energy. 

You can learn more about the Energy Engage Code here. 

Energy suppliers' contact information

The price of gas and electricity bills are double normal levels. Although this increase is putting understandably a massive strain on many Irish households, it’s important to remember there is help out there.

Engaging with your supplier will ensure you will not be disconnected and it will help you establish a payment plan which takes into account your financial situation.

The information you share with your supplier is confidential. 

Electric Ireland 

Contact number: 1800 372 372 (Customer service)

Send a letter: Electric Ireland, PO Box 841, South City Delivery Office, Togher, Cork

Website: www.electricireland.ie 

Electric Ireland Code of Practice on customer billing and disconnection. 

Bord Gáis Energy 

Contact number: (01) 611 01 01 (Customer service)

Email: info@bordgais.ie

Send a letter: Customer Service Residential, Bord Gáis Energy, PO Box 10943, Dublin 2 

Website: www.bordgaisenergy.ie 

Bord Gáis Energy Code of Practice for natural gas billing and disconnection

Bord Gáis Energy Code of Practice for electricity billing and disconnection 

Energia

Contact number: 0818 363 744 (Customer service)

Send a letter: The Liberty Centre, Blanchardstown Retail Park, Dublin 15, D15 YT2H

Website: www.energia.ie

Energia Code of Practice on customer billing and disconnection

Flogas 

Contact number: 041 214 9500 (Customer service) 

Email: info@flogas.ie 

Send a letter: Flogas Natural Gas Ltd, Knockbrack House, Matthews Lane, Donore Road, Drogheda, Co. Louth

Website: www.flogas.ie

Flogas Code of Practice on customer billing and disconnection

SSE Airtricity 

Contact number: 0818 812 220 (Customer service)

Email: customerservice@sseairtricity.com

Send a letter: SSE Airtricity, Red Oak South, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 W688

Website: www.sseairtricity.com 

SSE Airtricity’s information on customer billing and disconnection and its commitment to the Energy Engage Code.

PrepayPower 

Contact number: 0818 323 920 (Customer service)

Email: COP@prepaypower.ie

Send a letter: PrepayPower Limited, Code of Practice, Paramount Court, Corrig Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18, D18R9C7

Website: www.prepaypower.ie 

PrepayPower Code of Practice on customer disconnection

Yuno Energy

Contact number: 1800 554 488 (Customer service)

Email: sales@yunoenergy.ie

Send a letter: Yuno Energy, Paramount Court, Corrig Road, Sandyford Business Park, Sandyford, Dublin 18, D18 R9C7

Website: www.yunoenergy.ie

Yuno Energy Code of Practice on customer disconnection

Pinergy

Contact number: 0818 363 749 (Customer service)

Email: customerservices@pinergy.ie 

Send a letter: Pinergy Suite 1 Beaver House, Beach Hill Office Campus, Clonskeagh, Dublin 4, D04 Y8X5

Website: www.pinergy.ie 

Pinergy Code of Practice on customer billing and disconnection

Ecopower Supply

Contact number: 056 775 0140 (Customer service)

Email: office@ecopower.ie 

Send a letter: Ecopower Limited, Zetec House, Purcellsinch IDA Business Park, Kilkenny, R95 PX5X

Website: www.ecopower.ie

Ecopower Supply Code of Practice on customer billing and disconnection

Community Power 

Contact number: 067 56005 (Customer service)

Email: info@communitypower.ie

Send a letter: Community Power, 2nd Floor, Friars Court, Nenagh, Tipperary, E45KN59

Website: www.communitypower.ie

Community Power Code of Practice on customer billing and disconnection

Waterpower 

Contact number: (01) 29 505 68 (Customer service)

Email: info@waterpower.ie 

Send a letter: Waterpower, Strand Street, Kanturk, Co. Cork

Website: www.waterpower.ie 

Waterpower Code of Practice on customer disconnection

Lower the cost of your energy bill on bonkers.ie

If you’re struggling to pay your bills this winter, consider switching to a cheaper energy supplier. Although suppliers are raising their prices, there are still savings to be made by switching. 

On bonkers.ie, we offer a free gas and electricity comparison service so you can compare the best value energy deals on the Irish market in seconds!

For more information on the comparison and switching process, make sure you take a look at our guide on how to get cheaper energy bills.

Helpful guides

If you found this guide helpful, take a look at our other articles designed to provide you with information that will help you cut the cost of your energy bills and usage.

• Check out the different financial supports available to you if you’re unable to afford your energy bills. 
• Find out if you’re eligible for the winter fuel allowance or the free electricity allowance. 
• Here's a list of 15 easy ways to reduce your electricity consumption and save money.

Keep an eye on our blogs and guide pages for more saving tips and helpful suggestions.

Need any help?

If you have any questions about the supports outlined in this guide, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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