Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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76. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the accessibility of the €200 electricity grant for social housing tenants who use a pay-as-you-go service; if an initial top-up is required to access it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21917/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account, having regard to the exceptional rise in energy prices. The credit of €176.22 (excluding VAT) is being applied to all domestic electricity accounts through April, May and June, and includes prepay meters.This scheme is in addition to the Government’s ongoing measures to address energy poverty and the protection of vulnerable customers, and is in addition to the measures introduced in the Budget. Additional measures have also been announced by Government to deal with rising energy costs.

Prepay customers will be notified by their supplier via an email/text message/or message on the top-up note to advise them that the credit has been applied to their account. Suppliers will issue customers with a 40 code which is used when vending, to redeem the credit. For customers with Lifestyle or Smart prepay meters, the credit will be automatically applied to the vend after the supplier has activated the credit to the customer’s account.

There is a small population of older prepayment meters which, due to their age and inbuilt monetary limits, will require the customer to redeem their credit over three separate transactions over the space of a few days. In these cases, to redeem each stage of the credit, customers will need to buy a (minimum) €10 top up. When they do this they will receive a new code which will credit their meter with the Government Electricity Credit when entered. Once the credit is applied to the customer’s account/meter they can access it by vending 3 times.

The Deputy may also wish to note that updates on the electricity credit, including frequently asked questions, are available on gov.ie at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/4ae14-electricity-costs-emergency-benefit-scheme/

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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77. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if matters raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; the reason that residential business properties are not included in this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21661/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account, having regard to the exceptional rise in energy prices. The credit of €176.22 (excluding VAT) is being applied to all domestic electricity accounts from April and includes prepay meters.This scheme is in addition to the Government’s ongoing measures to address energy poverty and the protection of vulnerable customers, and is in addition to the measures introduced in the Budget and those set out in the recently published National Energy Security Framework. The scheme applies to all domestic accounts and includes pre-pay customers. The scheme is operated by the Distribution System Operator (ESB Networks) and electricity suppliers with oversight by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.

This is an exceptional measure which uses the single eligibility criterion of a meter point registration number, to ensure payments to each domestic electricity account as early as possible in 2022, without any additional means testing. As such, it is being applied automatically to all domestic electricity accounts which were held with suppliers on 29 March. The payment is being applied to domestic electricity accounts i.e. those which are subject to distribution use of system charges at the rate for urban domestic customers (DG1) or the rate for rural domestic customers (DG2), as set out in section 1 of the Act. 

The Deputy may also wish to note that updates on the electricity credit, including frequently asked questions, are available on gov.ie at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/4ae14-electricity-costs-emergency-benefit-scheme/