Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
281. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number and proportion of domestic electricity and gas customers in arrears who are currently on formal repayment plans, broken down by fuel type; the latest date for which data is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29710/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraRegulation of retail energy markets is solely a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) since the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and subsequent legislation. However, officials from my Department correspond with the CRU on an ongoing basis to track developments in retail and wholesale energy markets.
The CRU regularly provides market monitoring data to my Department including data on estimated annual bills for households; the number of households in payment arrears on their electricity and gas bills; the number of disconnections; and the number of customers switching energy supplier. The data provided is an overall figure and does not outline information for those on a repayment plan.
As arrears data operates with a time lag due to the way suppliers report these figures to the CRU, the latest arrear data is for February 2026. The data shows that there are currently 316,838 and 179,439 customers in arrears for electricity and gas (respectively). Of these, 191,374 electricity and 147,469 gas customers were in arrears for over 90 days.
The CRU is currently reviewing its market monitoring framework through which suppliers provide monthly data which feeds into the CRU's published reports and policy. The review of the framework aims to provide more granular information to gain a better understanding of the numbers of customers who may be in more distress and in need of support with their debt. This work is expected to be completed in the coming months.
The Deputy may wish to engage directly with the CRU in relation to the matters raised. The CRU provides a dedicated email address, oireachtas@cru.ie, for Oireachtas members which enables them to raise questions on general energy regulatory matters.
