Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the additional measures he is planning on taking in 2018 to reduce energy costs for consumers. [45401/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The overarching energy objective of successive Governments has been to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. As outlined in the Energy White Paper, Government policy is to ensure that policy choices impacting energy costs are evidence-based with a focus on competitiveness, cost-benefit, security and sustainability.The electricity and gas markets are commercial and deregulated operating within national and European regulatory regimes. I have no statutory function in the monitoring or setting of gas or electricity prices.

Responsibility for the regulation of the gas or electricity markets is a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), which is an independent statutory body.

At a national level, the deregulated energy market results in choices for consumers and businesses in terms of suppliers, products and prices.  I would encourage consumers to either switch supplier or to contact their current supplier to ensure that the best available deal is being provided. Two CRU approved websites, and , are very helpful in aiding consumers to choose the products that best suit their needs and assisting them to switch energy suppliers.

CRU carries out statutory market monitoring functions and has the responsibility to ensure the market operates competitively for the benefit of the consumer. It also conducts regulatory scrutiny of the network costs component of retail prices.

Energy efficiency supports also represent a significant opportunity for consumers and businesses to reduce their energy costs. The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) provides the policy framework for energy efficiency in Ireland. Energy efficiency supports are available via the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to assist both business and domestic energy consumers, with significant funding allocated to them.

In the recent Budget, I secured approximately €107 million in capital funding for energy efficiency schemes in 2018, a 34% increase on the 2017 allocation. The capital increase will allow the SEAI to support the expansion of energy efficiency schemes. This will mean that 28,500 homes will be upgraded, including 9,000 low income households, and that bills for homes and business will be reduced by approximately €26 million, with 483 gigawatt hours of energy saved and 120,000 tonnes of carbon emissions saved.