Gas supplier Firmus Energy announces price increase
The company says it's been left with "no other option"
There's more unwelcome news for thousands of households across Northern Ireland after another gas supplier announced a price increase.
Firmus Energy has announced an almost 9% tariff increase for Ten Towns Customers and a 12.5% increase in Greater Belfast.
The company says it's been left with "no other option" and is blaming the increase on the Middle East conflict and its impact on the global energy market.
Firmus is the latest supplier to put up prices ahead of winter.
Last Friday, SSE Airtricity Gas announced an increase of almost 20% for tens of thousands of customers in Northern Ireland; also blaming volatility in global energy markets.
A statement from Firmus today said, “Firmus energy Supply – one of Northern Ireland’s largest suppliers of natural gas – has today announced a tariff increase of 8.98% for its Ten Towns customers and 12.5% for its Greater Belfast customers. This is due to the increased cost of gas on the global energy markets caused by the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.”
“The Ten Towns new tariff will be effective from 01st October and equates to an extra £7 per month on the average bill for customers in this network area. For customers in the Greater Belfast network the new tariff will be effective 08th October and equates to an extra £12 per month.”
Announcing this tariff change, Sharleen Winning, Head of Regulation at firmus energy Supply, said, “We cannot ignore the impact the situation in the Middle East is having on the cost of energy, and unfortunately this has left us with no option other than to increase our tariffs. We have held off for as long as we could in the hope of a resolution that would lead to a reduction in the global wholesale prices. “
“As Northern Ireland’s largest gas supplier by volume, we want to provide the best value possible to all our customers and we have demonstrated that when we are in a position to reduce tariffs, we do so without delay, and we hope to be able to do so again, once the global markets allow this.”