Bord Gáis disconnection rate cut in half

CASH-STRAPPED householders may be struggling to pay their utility bills but one energy provider has actually halved its disconnections in the past year.

Bord Gáis says it is disconnecting an average of 200 customers every month but was cutting off twice that number in 2009. The latest figures – for last month – show 190 people were disconnected compared to 440 in July last year.

The company puts the decrease down to improved procedures for dealing with customers who fall behind with payments since the problem of unpaid bills began to mushroom in 2008.