Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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188. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the support measures being considered to assist households facing increased energy costs; and to outline what Government strategies are being implemented to stabilise energy prices and protect consumers. [46974/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European regulatory regime wherein these markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive and are overseen by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). Price setting by energy suppliers is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned.

I am deeply aware of the impact which rising energy prices, driven by an unprecedented increase in wholesale prices and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have had on Irish consumers and businesses. To date €3.3 billion has been transferred through the four electricity credit schemes, providing support to nearly 2.3 million domestic households.

The Government has put in place a range of improved supports as part of the delivery of Ireland’s residential retrofit programme. These measures are aimed at making it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.

In 2025, a record capital budget of almost €550 million is allocated for SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV Scheme, to support over 64,500 home energy upgrades. Of this amount, a record €280 million has been allocated to the Warmer Homes Scheme to provide fully funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty. This represents an 11-fold increase over the spend on the scheme in 2020 and underlines the Government’s commitment to addressing energy poverty.

The Government has made a number of important commitments in respect of addressing the continued high cost of energy. The Programme for Government acknowledges the increased energy cost pressures on households and businesses and commits to bringing forward taxation measures to help contain energy costs.

Government approved an extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity by a further six months to October 2025 at an estimated cost of €85 million with the net benefit to households from 1 May to 31 October being approximately €26.60 with respect to electricity and €20.28 with respect to gas. This is traditionally 13.5% but has been 9% since 2022 in response to the energy price crisis.

The CRU has published enhanced customer protection measures for Winter 25/26. For the upcoming winter period 2025/26, some of the key customer protection measures that will remain in place include minimum timelines for debt repayment plans, discounted tariffs for financial hardship meter customers and promotion by energy suppliers of the vulnerable customer register.

A disconnection moratorium for reasons of non-payment of account for special services registered vulnerable customers will remain in place from 1 November 2025 - 31 March 2026, while the moratorium for priority services registered customers will remain in place all year. The winter disconnection moratorium for all other domestic customers will be in place from 8 December 2025 - 16 January 2026.

The National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) has been established by my Department to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability. The core objectives of the Taskforce include drafting an interim plan identifying measures to support energy consumers in advance of Budget 2026, and an Energy Affordability Action plan, which will examine measures and structural reforms to lower costs for households and businesses.