Already at 13-year high, consumer prices may spike to 4.5% in winter

Detailed CSO figures starkly underscore the pressures Irish people are facing

Consumer prices #are surging from a perfect storm of sharp increases in oil and gas prices amid low stocks of gas that power stations use to generate electricity. 

Driven by surging household energy costs, inflation reached a 13-year high of 3.7% in September, and further sharp increases are predicted to be on the way, when this month's oil and gas price hikes are passed onto consumers this winter. 

Consumer prices in most of Europe and around the world are surging from a perfect storm of sharp increases in oil and gas prices amid low stocks of gas that power stations use to generate electricity.