Irish energy provider SSE Airtricity has announced an increase in electricity and gas prices for its customers, set to take effect from April 2, 2025.
The price hike means a 10.5% increase in electricity bills and an 8.4% increase in gas bills for typical customers. On average, this will add €0.47 per day to electricity bills and €0.31 per day to gas bills, amounting to an annual increase of €171.22 for electricity and €113.91 for gas.
For dual-fuel households—customers who use both electricity and gas from SSE Airtricity—the average increase will be 9.5%, translating to €0.78 per day in additional costs.
Why Are Prices Increasing?
SSE Airtricity, which serves approximately 245,000 electricity customers and 85,000 gas customers, attributed the price hikes to rising network charges and wholesale energy costs.
The announcement follows a report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) last week, which revealed that wholesale electricity prices rose by 22.3% in January compared to the previous month and were 67.7% higher than January 2024.
While wholesale energy prices remain 56.8% lower than their peak in August 2022, recent cost increases have placed added pressure on energy suppliers.
Company’s Response to the Increase
SSE Airtricity emphasized that it has worked to protect customers from the full impact of energy price volatility over the past few years.
Stephen Gallagher, Managing Director of SSE Airtricity, stated that price increases are always a last resort and that the company has made efforts to shield customers from rising costs.
“We have worked hard over the past few years to shield customers from the full impact of volatile energy costs. We’re proud to have led the market in customer support measures, including the largest customer support package during the cost-of-living crisis and foregoing company profits in 2023 to prioritize customer relief.”
Gallagher also noted that network charges increased by around 20% in October 2024, and wholesale costs are 18% higher compared to last year. While SSE absorbed these costs for several months, the company can no longer do so.
The company urged customers experiencing financial difficulties to contact them directly for assistance.
Consumer Reaction and Market Impact
Daragh Cassidy, an energy expert from comparison site bonkers.ie, called the news “unwelcome” but noted that rising wholesale prices and government-sanctioned increases in network charges made price hikes inevitable.
“The only small reprieve is that this increase is happening at the end of winter when energy bills typically become less of a burden for households.”
Cassidy also pointed out that SSE Airtricity had the lowest standard rates in the market before this announcement, having reduced prices three times in the past two years. Even with the increase, SSE’s rates remain competitive compared to other suppliers.
The key question now is whether other energy providers will follow suit, further impacting household energy costs in the months ahead.
