Gas from Firmus Energy is going up by 56.3% today, Monday, October 3 – the largest single energy price hike in the North of Ireland to date.
The price rise applies to 62,000 customers in the Ten Towns area and 47,000 in Greater Belfast.
The annual gas bill of a typical household will see costs rise by more than £800.
It follows similar increases from other suppliers, including a number that came on Saturday.
SSE Airtricity, Electric Ireland and Click Ireland all put their electricity price up by about a third, while gas from SSE Airtricity went up by 28%.
Tens of thousands of people in the North of Ireland rushed to submit meter readings and purchase energy top-ups before the price hikes kicked in.
The Firmus price rise will see people in the Ten Towns area – including Derry, Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon and Newry – facing a rise of about £847 to a typical household gas bill.
Customers in the same area with a prepaid meter can now expect their typical costs to increase by about £806 per year.
In the Greater Belfast area, the typical annual bill has risen by about £855, while those with a prepaid meter will see costs rise by about £843 a year.
It is the firm’s third rise this year and comes after prices were increased 16.3% in May and by 33.6% in February.
It’s also the fifth increase by the company since April 2021 when average bills were £518.46.
Last week, British Prime Minister Liz Truss said households in the North of Ireland would get a £400 energy support discount in November.
That will be provided via electricity suppliers, though the government has still not provided full details.
Domestic gas and electricity unit costs will also be capped from November 1 in the North of Ireland.
The cap will be backdated to cover October, reflecting the fact that the GB cap starts in October.
However, the details of how that backdating will work are yet to be announced.
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