Northern Ireland’s largest supplier of natural gas, Firmus Energy, has today (Wednesday 6th September) announced that from 1st October 2023 its regulated tariff in the Ten Towns network will be reduced by a further 7.56%.
This will be the third reduction of 2023, meaning household tariffs will have dropped by 40% this year. This equates to a reduction of £865 1 on an average annual bill.
Making the announcement, Firmus Energy’s Chief Executive Niall Martindale said:
“Firmus Energy is committed to keeping its tariffs as low as possible and we are delighted to be able to announce this third reduction of 2023 in the Ten Towns network area.
“We know there are many competing demands on people’s finances, and we want to reassure our customers that when we are able to cut our prices we will do so, without delay, as we have demonstrated throughout 2023.”
The announcement comes after the Utility Regulator concluded its formal tariff review of the three regulated energy suppliers - Firmus Energy (Ten Towns area), SSE Airtricity Gas Supply (Greater Belfast and Western areas) and Power NI.
While the review has resulted in a discount for Firmus Ten Town domestic customers, there will be no change in the SSE Airtricity Gas Supply tariff or Power NI’s domestic electricity tariff.
This announcement marks the formal conclusion of reviews undertaken by the Utility Regulator and the three regulated suppliers, in consultation with the Department for the Economy and the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland.
This means that regulated electricity and gas tariffs in Northern Ireland will compare as follows to Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland:
Commenting on the reviews, John French, Utility Regulator Chief Executive, said:
“We have now completed our formal review of the costs in providing gas and electricity to homes and businesses across Northern Ireland. This has concluded that a 7.56% decrease is needed to Firmus Energy’s Ten Towns domestic gas tariff, and that no further changes are needed to SSE Airtricity Gas Supply’s regulated gas tariff and Power NI’s domestic electricity tariff from 1 October 2023.
“This means that the average domestic gas bill in Firmus Energy’s Ten Towns licence area will decrease byapproximately £112 per year. We will continue to actively monitor wholesale energy and network costs and will ensure any falls in costs are passed through to customers at the earliest opportunity.
“Any household that is worried about paying their energy bill, should contact their gas or electricity supplier in the first instance, to make them aware of their circumstances, and discuss the options available. In addition, there are several agencies who can provide free and independent advice to households, including Advice NI, Christians Against Poverty and Money and Pensions Service’s MoneyHelper.”
Customers seeking advice on their natural gas bills or direct debit payments should contact the Firmus Energy Customer Services team on 0330 024 9000 or customerservices@firmusenergy.co.uk.
For free and independent advice on how to save energy please contact NI Energy Advice Line on 0800 111 4455.