Energy minister's advice for lowering bills? Retrofit or switch providers

ENERGY MINISTER DARRAGH O’Brien has encouraged the public to retrofit their home or switch providers if they want to save money on gas and electricity.

Darragh O’Brien told The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Today FM that he thinks the energy regulator is doing enough to protect consumers. Providers continue to raise prices.

On Wednesday, Bord Gáis announced increases. Comparison website Bonkers.ie said that the change will add €177 to the average household’s power bill and €140 for gas.

Asked whether there’d be measures in the budget to offset the rising costs, O’Brien said: “I want to be straight with people too, that we’re not going to be able to soften every increase in energy prices.

“We’ve got to help as many as we can, but we’ve also got to ensure that we really continue to invest in our grid and accelerate delivery of renewables.”

His advice for saving money? Retrofit your home or switch providers.

On the former, he said: “Permanent changes that can be made to reduce energy use, reduce consumption, and, really importantly, reduce bills.”

He encouraged the public to take advantage of state reimbursement schemes, which he says can save people up to €1,600 per year. He claimed that 284,000 homes – about 10% of the national stock – had already been retrofitted in some way, whether it be through installing solar panels or switching windows and doors for more energy efficient ones.

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The minister, who chairs the regulator’s National Affordability Taskforce, also advised people to look at switching providers to get a better deal.

“Ireland’s switching rate compared to Europe is not bad, but many, many people don’t switch,” he said.

He added: “There are savings out there even in a high-price environment that all of Europe is living in right now.”

Public transport

The minister also defended public transport fare increases, saying they’ll still be lower than they were eight years ago.

The 90-minute fare that applies for Leap cardholders travelling in the Greater Dublin area is to be increased from €2 to €2.30, under the plans by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

Adult fares on buses and trains nationwide are set to increase by an average of 15% as part of the increases, which were announced at a press briefing this morning. 

The change comes into effect from January. 

“What we’re going to be able to do with this modest increase, and in many areas a decrease, I might add, is actually add at least 140 new services right the way across the country in 2027,” O’Brien said.

“Those increases and that additional income will go directly into new services.”