The number of households unable to pay their electricity bills in Ireland rose sharply last December, reaching nearly 320,000, according to figures released by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) on Wednesday. The total represents an increase of just over 20% compared with December 2024, when 264,458 households were in arrears.
CRU data shows that over 50,000 more customers were behind on their energy payments at the end of 2025 than a year earlier. The last two months of the year saw a particularly steep increase, with the total rising from more than 303,000 in November to almost 320,000 in December, a month-on-month jump of over 5%.
Of all domestic gas customers, 26% were in arrears in December, while 14% of electricity customers were unable to pay part or all of their bills. The average debt among electricity customers also increased by 10% year on year, although gas customers owed slightly less than the previous year, with a 1% decline in arrears.
The rise in energy debt comes amid sustained increases in gas and electricity costs since the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago.
Minister for Housing James Browne said the Government is aware of the strain on households. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said emergency measures were introduced when energy prices first surged, but authorities are now taking a “medium and long-term approach” to reduce costs permanently. He added that the Government’s energy affordability action taskforce has published an interim report and is preparing a finalised report aimed at controlling energy costs and easing financial pressures for families.
Opposition politicians criticised the Government for its handling of the crisis. Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty said the party had warned the Government that energy arrears would increase after energy credits were withdrawn and utility companies were not held accountable. Speaking to RTÉ, he described the situation as a “complete stain” on the Government’s record, noting that each of the nearly 320,000 households in arrears represents a family struggling to keep up with bills.
Doherty called for an immediate cost-of-living package, including renewed energy credits, and reforms to hold energy providers accountable for high prices and perceived profiteering. He highlighted the broader financial pressures on households, pointing to rent hikes, rising fuel costs, home heating oil prices, and toll increases as compounding the crisis.
“One in seven houses cannot pay their electricity, and one in four cannot pay their gas bills,” he said, stressing the State’s responsibility to support citizens during the cost-of-living crisis.
The latest figures underline the ongoing challenges facing Irish households as energy costs remain elevated and many families continue to struggle to meet basic living expenses.
