More than one million gas and electricity consumers will have to pay more for their energy from Monday. Electric Ireland, the country's largest supplier of electricity, is to raise prices by 4% while its smaller competitor, PrePayPower, will be charging customers an extra 3.9%.

Electric Ireland's announcement of price hikes may be followed by other providers, it was suggested tonight.

Electric Ireland is cutting gas prices.

Barack Obama has rejected an application from a Canadian energy giant to build the Keystone XL pipeline, declaring the proposed project would not serve US national interests.

Almost 16,000 people have signed up to the Big Energy Switch — just over a week after the campaign to unlock group discounted electricity and gas was launched.

Bord Gáis Energy has today applied for a rise of more then 7.5% in residential gas prices.

A leading charity has warned planned price hikes in electricity and gas will place greater financial and emotional pain on struggling households.

The Finance Minister is tonight defending the Government's decision to hold a private inquiry into the banking crisis.

Bord Gais is to cut a €1m from the gas bills of the less well off.

Consumers living in the Republic are still paying more for their natural gas than their counterparts in the North.

The Commission for Energy Regulation has confirmed a reduction in gas prices of an average of 8% this afternoon.

Gas prices are to fall again early next year bringing average bills down about a third in the last year.

Gas users in the North were today hit with another substantial price hike, as Phoenix Natural Gas announced that it was putting up prices by 14.5% from Sunday.

The 11th price increase by UK suppliers so far this year has left customers paying 80% more for energy than they were just three years ago and wondering when the rises will come to an end.

Millions of households in the UK were reeling from another rise in energy bills today after British Gas said it would hike prices by as much as 12.4%.