NI: Electricity supplier in fuel poverty pledge

Northern Ireland’s electricity supplier is establishing a £1m (€1.47m) fund to support customers struggling to pay their bills.

The money from NIE is targeted at those in fuel poverty and would help low-income households access grants and benefits.

The supplier is also setting up a separate £1m (€1.47m) research facility to identify sustainable energy options.

They are capping network charges at last year’s level and there will be a £312m (€459.5m) investment in the network over the five years from 2007 to 2012.

The agreement was made with regulator OFREG and its chief executive said: “The final proposals published today represent a balance of investment for the long term and cost reduction for the short term.

“This new price control will secure a quality service for customers at competitive prices, vital in a time of rising fuel costs. This price control will hold down controllable costs at a difficult time for consumers.

“The new control will also increase customer protection at a time of unprecedented take-over action in European utilities.”