Caitríona Redmond: Taking steps to reduce energy costs in an uncertain time

With rising energy prices and record energy bill arrears, how can we protect ourselves from further big bills?

'Rather than heating the whole house, I use spot heating to stay warm. That means using a plug-in electric blanket or plugging in a small oil-filled radiator if I’m feeling cold instead of switching on the heating.'

Just a few short weeks ago, the CRU (Commission for the Regulation of Utilities) published some shocking statistics. Some 14% of all domestic electricity customers, and 26% of all domestic gas customers in Ireland were in arrears at the end of 2025. 

For those same categories at the end of 2022, electricity customers in arrears were 12%, and gas 20%. There’s been a steady increase in energy arrears over the past three years, which would likely be higher if the former short-term energy credits had not been universally applied. It’s clear that despite the one-off payments, many Irish consumers continued to struggle with the high cost of energy up to the end of last year.