Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would not like to see a return to price fixing. Long-standing Government energy policy since 1999, aligned with the thrust of the European policy, has focused on the importance of increasing retail market competition, which results in a choice for consumers. Government policy has supported competition to drive down prices. Data from approved price comparison websites such as bonkers.ieor switcher.ieshow that consumers can make significant savings by switching energy suppliers. For example, in switching supplier a customer could save consuming an average amount of energy up to €148 on an annual electricity bill and up to €118 on an annual gas bill, while a customer of a single dual-fuel supplier could save up to €300, as estimated by independent websites. Therefore, there is competition and prices are being driven down by it, which is how the market should work.

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