296,000 households face higher energy bills as SSE Airtricity raises prices by around 10%

Around 296,000 SSE Airtricity electricity and gas customers will see their bills increase next month after the company announced a price rise on Friday. Picture: Alamy/PA 

Around 296,000 SSE Airtricity electricity and gas customers will see their bills increase next month after the company announced a price rise on Friday.

A typical household dual fuel bill with SSE Airticity will increase by about 85c per day - adding up to €310 annually. The company said the price change is directly in response to ongoing volatility in global energy markets, as well as increases in network charges.

"Given the sustained and unprecedented nature of current market volatilities, as well as the increased network charges, we unfortunately can no longer absorb these costs," said SSE Airtricity managing director Stephen Gallagher.

"We remain committed to delivering the best value possible for our customers, and we will pass on any future price reductions when we are in a position to do so."

The increases to electricity prices are higher than the gas increases. For electricity customers, the unit rate of its electricity by 9.4% and its daily stranding charge by 6.1%, meaning electricity only bills could rise by €172. The unit rate of its gas is rising by 11.6% but the standing charge is not increasing, meaning gas only customers could see €139 a year added to the average bill.

The price increases come into effect on October 5.

Darragh Cassidy of bonkers.ie said that over the past few months, wholesale electricity and gas costs have shot up again, largely due to the continued conflict in the Middle East. "Wholesale electricity costs for the past six months are up by around 30% compared to the previous six-month period. And on top of this, we've seen fees for the management and upkeep of the electricity grid increase too.

"And wholesale gas prices have almost doubled compared to this time last year. The hikes that have been announced may not seem exceptionally high, but they're coming on top of energy costs which are already at very high levels. Gas prices are already around 90% higher than they were four or five years ago while electricity prices are around 70% higher. So any further hikes to energy costs, however moderate, will hit many households hard."

Earlier this week, the CSO said energy prices have risen by 11.8% over the 12 months to August 2026.