THE MORATORIUM ON electricity and gas disconnections is to be extended until the end of March for all customers.
The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) announced today that the moratorium, which was due to end on 28 February, is to be extended by just over one month.
The original extended moratorium came into effect on 1 December 2022 and was in place for vulnerable customers that had registered with the CRU.
Today’s change will now ban disconnections for all domestic customers.
Registered vulnerable customers cannot be disconnected for reasons of non-payment at any time and this protection remains in place.
Karen Trant, CRU Director of Customer Policy and Protection said the CRU considered it appropriate to extend this moratorium on disconnections for all domestic customers given that they are continuing to experience high prices and uncertainty as to when those prices will reduce.
“The CRU will continue to monitor the levels of debt and arrears for customers in advance of a further review of customer protection measures that are in place with suppliers, with the first of these reviews to be undertaken in the summer before winter 2023/24,” she said.
The moratorium extension comes as the Government announced its cost-of-living package, however, there will be no energy credits over the summer period.
“We do have the option in the next budget of restoring energy credits to help people with their winter electricity bills.
“But that will depend on whether or not electricity prices come down between now and then,” the Taoiseach said.
Leo Varadkar said he wants to see energy prices come down quickly “because it only took a couple of months for companies to put the prices up”.
He warned energy companies that the Government “will not stand idly by” if prices are not reduced while wholesale prices come down.
He said: “I’m not going to stand idly by if they record massive profits this year and don’t rebate some of that to their customers.”
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