Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin, Lynn Boylan, has said that figures released by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU), which show that there have never been more electricity and gas customers in debt, are a damning indictment of the government.

The quarterly figure up to the end of June includes households and commercial customers. There are 320,332 electricity customers in arrears, while 180,163 gas customers are in arrears.

Three years into this crisis, the latest figures on energy debt reveal the deep flaws in our energy system. At the end of June, households owed a staggering €119,953,630 to energy companies, a 12% increase from the €105,857,250 owed just three months earlier.

Lynn Boylan MEP said:

“More customers are in debt now than at any point since the energy prices spiked in the wake of Covid-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“These numbers tell us what households and small businesses up and down the state already know. The government policy is failing miserably.

“Several years into the crisis, it’s clear the government still does have a handle on it as more households are in debt now than last year before the recent round of energy credits. Meanwhile, more commercial customers are in debt to gas and electricity suppliers than ever before.

Growing divide

“Very worryingly, the amount of money owed to energy companies is continuing to rise. €119,953,630 was owed at the end of June, a 12% rise on the €105,857,250 owed at the end of March. The system is working for shareholders but not ordinary people.

“Even though the average amount of debt per household is falling slightly, the total amount of debt owed to energy companies is increasing. This could mean a smaller number of customers are accumulating larger debts.

“In other words, while most households owe smaller amounts, a subset of customers might be experiencing severe financial hardship, leading to much higher individual debt levels. This clearly shows there is a need for more targeted reliefs.

Sinn Féin’s plan

“Households need relief. This government’s policy is to offer temporary electricity credits and hoping for energy prices to stabilise has done nothing to address the root causes of this crisis.

“Like the housing crisis, this government is behaving as though widespread energy poverty is a normal feature of the energy system, when it is not. This is a political choice. There is an alternative.

“We need wholesale market reform but there are steps to take in the short term.

“First – end corporate subsidies paid for by households and small businesses. Ordinary people are paying for renewables and grid upgrades that data centres should be paying for.

“Secondly, Eamon Ryan directed that over €600m be taken from households and small businesses to subsidise the bills of data centres during the so-called Large Energy User Rebalancing Subvention.

“Sinn Féin is calling in that debt – that money should be paid back by data centres and large energy users to give households a break. We need a Household Rebalancing Subvention now.”