‘Rip-off electricity costs’ pushing more and more Meath homes into energy poverty

A Meath TD has claimed a growing number of households across the county are being pushed into energy poverty because of exorbitant electricity bills.

The claim was made by Meath East Sinn Féin TD Darren O’Rourke during a debate an affordable electricity debate in the Dáil.

The former Meath county councillor bemoaned how an increasing series of households were paying an average €700 more for electricity when compared to their European counterparts.

Over the past two years in particular, the energy crisis in Europe has laid bare utter dysfunction that defines Ireland's energy market,” he said.

“Prices continue to soar and people continue to suffer. All the while, energy companies make off into the sunset with surging profits.”

Mr O’Rourke said there was an urgent and pressing need for direct State intervention to appease those households that were now struggling to make ends meet because of the crisis.

“The reality is that energy prices have fallen much more slowly in Ireland than in other EU states,” he argued.

“Prices remain 70% higher than before the energy crisis hit.

“The number of customers in arrears has skyrocketed and nearly 500,000 households cannot afford to pay their energy bills. Unsurprisingly, energy poverty remains at record levels.”

In an attempt to broker a resolution to the impasse, Mr O’Rourke called on the government to adopt his party’s five-point plan.

Among them included proposals to enhancing the powers of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) to regulate standing charges as well as a planned overhaul of the State’s current retrofitting scheme.

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