Unable to pay your energy bill? Reach out to your supplier for support - This Week

For households struggling to pay their electricity bills there are supports out there. Daragh Cassidy, Head of Communications at bonkers.ie appeared on This Week on RTE Radio 1 to discuss what consumers can do if they find themselves in this position. 

Listen back to the interview above or take a look at the main points below. 

Main points from the interview

• Electric Ireland has urged its customers to engage with them if they are unable to pay their bills. 
• Most suppliers have set up hardship funds for those who are struggling to pay their bills, such as Electric Ireland. It has set up a €5 million hardship fund. 
• Under the Commission for Regulations of Utilities’ (CRU) Code of Conduct, if a person who is struggling to pay their bills is engaging with their supplier to find a solution, it is illegal for the customer to be cut off from their energy supply. 
• So if you are struggling to pay your bill, you should reach out to your supplier immediately to put a payment plan in place. You can access all the suppliers' contact information here.
• Some households have cancelled their direct debit with their electricity supplier as they can’t pay their bills, however, this is not recommended as it will affect your credit rating and your ability to switch to another supplier in the future. 
• It is still worth switching your energy supplier as you can avail of a discount of up to 10%. 
• If you have a high level of debt, you may not be able to switch to another supplier as your prospective new provider may not want to take you on as a customer.
• To ensure you aren’t being over or undercharged, you should send in a regular meter reading to your supplier, this will stop you from getting a shock further down the line. 
• If you have a smart meter you won’t have to submit a meter reading to your supplier as it will be done automatically, but if you have a traditional meter you will. 
• If you are struggling to pay your bills, there are plenty of supports out there to help you during this time. 

Cut the cost of your electricity bill today

If you’re struggling to pay your electricity bills, you should consider switching to a new supplier to avail of their discounted rates.

On bonkers.ie, you can use our free energy price comparison tool to find the cheapest electricity deal on the Irish market today.

You can also reduce your energy consumption by checking out these different ways to use less electricity and how to heat your home for less.

We also have a range of other helpful comparison tools that will help you keep money in your pocket! We have services for broadband, insurance and banking products.

Get in touch

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