Electricity and gas customers of one of the State’s largest energy providers will be hit with substantial price increases from next month, piling fresh pressure on households heading into the winter.
SSE Airtricity is to hike its unit electricity price by 8.9pc, and gas unit price by 9.3pc from October 5. The move that will impact around 250,000 electricity customers and 85,000 gas customers. Dual fuel customers will see their fuel bills rise by 9.1pc.
In addition, customers will be hit with increased electricity standing charges, which will rise by 6.1pc also from 5 October 2026
The company is blaming rising wholesale energy prices as a result of the war in the Persian Gulf and higher network, which kick in next month.
“Wholesale gas prices continue to remain high due to the conflict in the Middle East and have more than doubled over the last 12 months. In addition, increases in electricity system operator costs and network charges come into effect in October,” SEE Airtricity said.
The price increases for customers in the Republic follow a recent increase in Northern Ireland.
Stephen Gallagher, Managing Director of SSE Airtricity said he knows the increases will be unwelcome news to customers.
“We have worked hard to shield our customers from the full impact of ongoing volatility in wholesale energy costs. However, given the sustained and unprecedented nature of current market volatilities, as well as the increased network charges, we unfortunately can no longer absorb these costs,” he said.
“We remain committed to delivering the best value possible for our customers, and we will pass on any future price reductions when we are in a position to do so. The best means to insulate customers from future global market volatilities is to accelerate the deployment of homegrown, clean power within our energy system,” he said.
Higher oil and gas prices on international markets are already feeding a renewed bout of inflation across the Irish and European economies.
Figures this week showed the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for Ireland – a standardised measure of rising household costs – have risen by an estimated 3.4pc in the 12 months to August 2026 and increased by 0.6pc since July 2026, with rising energy costs the key factor.
It also comes after Calor Gas this week increased the annual standing charge for its gas customers from €95 to €185. Calor Gas supplies liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and renewable BioLPG to power heating, hot water, and cooking appliances for households across the State.