Energy Bill Payment Difficulties
Find out what to do if you're having trouble paying your energy bills. We also outline what consumer protections are in place for you with your supplier.
Always contact your supplier
If you are having trouble paying your electricity or gas bill, contact your supplier.
They have trained staff in place to listen to your situation.
Supplier Support for Customers in Payment Difficulty
Suppliers are required to provide customers who have difficulty paying their bills with options to avoid disconnection.
This may include (where appropriate):
- Assisting you to make a payment plan.
- Engaging with a money advisor acting on your behalf e.g. Money Advisory Budgeting Service (MABS), a recognised charity or a third party.
- Offering you a prepayment meter or budget controller.
Suppliers should take into account your ability to pay when agreeing to any repayment arrangement, by credit or prepayment meter and confirm that arrangements are manageable. Suppliers must make customers entering, or on, a payment plan aware of the option to extend the repayment plan to 24 months (or longer should the supplier wish). The customer can repay in less than 24 months if they so wish. Any lump sum payments demanded by a supplier as part of the customer’s repayment plan must take accounts of the customer’s ability to pay.
Energy Engage Code
The supplier-led Energy Engage Code provides a further level of security for domestic electricity and gas customers. Under this code, energy suppliers will not disconnect you if you are engaging with them.
Disconnections
- Suppliers must attempt to make at least 4 contacts with a customer before issuing such a request to disconnect a customer due to non-payment.
- Suppliers will have to send a formal request to the network operator to carry out a disconnection. This notice must be sent by letter, at least 10 working days before the disconnection happens. Suppliers must not process any request for disconnection of a household customer until the 10 working day notice period has expired.
More information can be found in the CRU's Electricity and Gas Suppliers' Handbook 2021
Having trouble paying your electricity or gas bill?
Contact your supplier. They have trained staff in place to listen to your situation.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties, there are a number of organisations that may be able to assist you.
The Department of Social Protection has An Exceptional Needs Payment. This is a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. More information.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) is the State’s money advice service, guiding people through dealing with problem debt. If you have problem debt, or if you feel like your debts are in danger of becoming a problem, then they can help you. MABS runs a Helpline (0818 07 2000) Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm) and also operates from more than 60 locations nationwide. Find out more about MABS.
As part of the Household Benefits Package, some customers may be entitled to support for paying their electricity or gas bills. The allowance is paid either as a monthly credit on a customer's bill or directly to the customer. Find out more about the Household Benefits Package.
Further Information from the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Communications