Waterford electricity customers won't be cut off during winter months under new protection measures

New measures are to be introduced to protect electricity and gas customers this winter in the wake of increasing prices, the utilities regulator has announced.  

Residents in Waterford will now have some reassurance that they won't be disconnected during the coldest months of the year, under the new measures. 

Included amongst the measures is an extension of the period during which customers cannot be disconnected. There will also be an easing of debt repayment policies. 

According to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). these efforts are being taken “in the context of the current volatility in global energy prices”.

The new measures were developed as part of the CRU’s contribution to the National Energy Security Framework that was announced by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in April as a response to Ireland’s energy challenges following the war in Ukraine.

Disconnection for customers is currently not allowed from from mid-December to mid-January, but this will now be extended to run from December 1st to 28th February.

The moratorium for vulnerable customers will also be extended to six months from October 1st until March 31st.

From November 1st, customers who find themselves in debt will have a period of two years in which they can repay.

The measures also affect how much a customer must pay under pay-as-you-go schemes for an outstanding debts.

Where energy companies could deduct up to 25% of any payment to offset a customer’s existing debts, from October 1st this  will be fixed at just 10%.

All customers with a financial hardship meter are to be placed on the cheapest tariff available from their supplier from December 1, 2022

The measures come in the wake of rising utilities, with electricity and gas companies all announcing an increase in charges in recent months. 

It is understood that the government is also considering a windfalll tax on energy providers who posted large profits while passing on an increase in charges to their customers.