Bord Gáis under fire over limits to billing system

Bord Gáis has been accused of posing a health and safety risk by excluding independent contractors from accessing a billing system that allows customers to spread the cost of putting in new central heating systems over a lengthy period.

The Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors of Ireland (APHCI) claims customers who want to pay in installments must use Bord Gáis’s sole approved contractor, Sierra.

APHCI represents 350 independent approved contractors and claims the restriction is fuelling the black economy by forcing cash-strapped consumers into hiring unapproved contractors.