ESB plan open to those in difficulty

ESB has confirmed that customers making a genuine effort to manage their bill can now avail of its recently-announced electricity price reductions.

Earlier this month ESB Electric Ireland, on its entry to the competitive residential energy market, launched a range of price reductions.

As part of the package, the company offered a plan which offers social welfare recipients, who may be in arrears, a discount of up to 6% when they join the plan.

However, last week Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte asked ESB Electric Ireland how customers not in receipt of social welfare, but genuinely attempting to clear arrears, might be able to apply for the new price plans.

On foot of this the company yesterday announced the plan is being extended to include customers with token meters installed and those who have entered or will enter payment plans to deal with their arrears.

ESB Electric Ireland general manager, Liam Molloy, said the extension will offer savings and choice to those customers.

“We have responded to the minister’s concerns and the views of our customers and can confirm that the household budget price plan will now be available to customers not in receipt of social welfare benefits and who are making a genuine effort to manage their electricity accounts under difficult financial circumstances,” he said.

Minister Rabbitte welcomed the news and said it would help customers in genuine difficulty.

“I welcome the ESB’s response to my request to pay particular attention to the needs of customers with genuine payment problems who want to avail of the price cuts. In addition to including customers with token meters, ESB Electric Ireland has extended their household budget price plan to include customers who are in arrears but making a genuine effort to manage their electricity accounts in difficult times. Access to the price plan reductions will clearly help customers in genuine difficulty,” he said.

Mr Rabbitte urged all energy supply companies to continue to work with customers who are genuinely experiencing difficulty in the current downturn.