NEWS

Sunday 27 September 2026 Almost half of Northern Ireland households have never switched electricity supplier, despite a sharp rise in consumers shopping around for a new provider and more than 112,000 domestic customers changing supplier during 2025. New figures from the Utility Regulator show 404,004 domestic electricity customers — 47% of the market — had never moved from the incumbent supplier by the end of last year, although that proportion has fallen from 49% in 2024. T

Households using Firmus Energy gas in parts of the Ballymena area are facing another increase in their energy costs this autumn, with the regulated tariff set to rise by 8.98% from 1 October. The increase will add around £87 a year to the gas bill of a typical household customer and comes only three months after Firmus Energy’s regulated Ten Towns tariff increased by 15.7% in July. For a typical customer, the latest change will take the estimated annual gas bill to around £1,

Businesses across Northern Ireland are reporting lower levels of concern about their energy bills and greater confidence in their suppliers, according to new research published by the Utility Regulator. However, despite signs of improvement, around one in five businesses remain worried about the cost of energy, underlining the continued pressure facing many firms as prices remain significantly higher than they were before the pandemic. The findings come from the Utility Regul

More than half a million households across Northern Ireland are facing another jump in energy costs from Friday, with both electricity and gas prices rising amid renewed pressure on global wholesale markets linked to conflict in the Middle East. Power NI customers will see electricity tariffs increase by 6.2% from 1 July 2026, while regulated firmus energy gas customers in the Ten Towns network will face a much steeper rise of 15.65%. For many families already juggling food c

Gas customers across Ballymena and the wider Ten Towns network are set to see their bills fall again from April after Northern Ireland’s energy regulator completed its latest tariff review. The Utility Regulator has confirmed a 10.1% decrease to the regulated gas tariff for Firmus Energy customers in the Ten Towns area. The reduction, which comes into effect on 1 April 2026, is expected to reduce the average annual bill by around £94 for domestic and small business customers.