Written answers
Monday, 8 September 2025
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Departmental Data
Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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179. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of domestic electricity customers in arrears and the average value of the arrears; the number of commercial electricity customers in arrears; the number of domestic gas customers in arrears and the average value of the arrears; the number of commercial gas customers in arrears; the number of domestic electricity customers in arrears for more than 90 days; the number of domestic gas customers in arrears for more than 90 days; the number of domestic electricity disconnections; the number of domestic gas disconnections; the number of domestic electricity customer switches; and the number of non-domestic electricity customer switches for the months of June and July 2025, using the information provided to his Department's Retail Energy Policy and Regulation Division in the monthly market update by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, in tabular form. [46727/25]
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Regulation 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 CRU on an ongoing basis to track developments in retail and wholesale energy markets, including the effect of Government supports on arrears levels, among other indicators.
The CRU releases market monitoring data monthly to my Department inclusive of key items such as estimated annual bills for households and those number of households in payment arrears on their electricity and gas bills. The most recent of these releases includes the most up to date estimated annual bills and the latest available data on the number of customers in arrears. As arrears data operates with a two-month time lag due to the way suppliers report these figures to the CRU, the latest arrears data received in June and July 2025 relates to April and May 2025.
An update on the latest figures requested currently is set out below:
Domestic/Commercial Electricity and Gas Customers (April) | Number in Arrears/Switches | Average Value of Arrears |
---|---|---|
Domestic Electricity (Arrears) | 300,653 | €440.96 |
Domestic Gas (Arrears) | 175,347 | €212.83 |
Commercial/Small Business Electricity | 32,881 | - |
Commercial Small Business Gas | 7,295 | - |
Commercial/Medium Business Electricity | 3,692 | - |
Commercial/Medium Business Gas | 265 | - |
Domestic Electricity Arrears >90 days | 167,770 | - |
Domestic Gas Arrears >90 days | 135,677 | - |
Domestic Electricity Disconnections | 181 | - |
Domestic Gas Disconnections | 119 | - |
Domestic Electricity Customer Switches | 37,023 | - |
Non-Domestic Electricity Customer Switches | 2,885 | - |
Domestic/Commercial Electricity and Gas Customers (May) | Number in Arrears/Switches | Average Value of Arrears |
---|---|---|
Domestic Electricity (Arrears) | 301,379 | €466.46 |
Domestic Gas (Arrears) | 174,891 | €206.52 |
Commercial/Small Business Electricity | 27,421 | - |
Commercial Small Business Gas | 5,877 | - |
Commercial/Medium Business Electricity | 3,380 | - |
Commercial/Medium Business Gas | 197 | - |
Domestic Electricity Arrears >90 days | 176,449 | - |
Domestic Gas Arrears >90 days | 138965 | - |
Domestic Electricity Disconnections | 161 | - |
Domestic Gas Disconnections | 155 | - |
Domestic Electricity Customer Switches | 33,552 | - |
Non-Domestic Electricity Customer Switches | 1863 | - |
The Deputy may wish to engage directly with CRU on the matters raised. CRU provides a dedicated email address, oireachtas@cru.ie, for Oireachtas members which enables them to raise questions on general energy regulatory matters.
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