48,000 Electric Ireland customers overcharged on bills

Electric Ireland said there were not any inherent defects in its billing system, but rather a systems error that caused the issue. File picture

An estimated 48,000 Electric Ireland customers were overcharged on their electricity and gas bills, with some granted compensation, the energy regulator has said.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities said the issue resulted in customers being overcharged for one year, by about €23 on average.

The problem arose through customers being put on a high discount plan who were moved to a different, lower discount plan when their contract expired.

“In the bills that covered the contract expiry date, only the lower retention discount was applied, instead of two discounts as it should be,” CRU said.

While CRU said Electric Ireland acted in “good faith” and it did not appear to be a “deliberate breach”, it felt the energy company “could have enhanced its business process” to prevent it from happening.

Electric Ireland said there were not any inherent defects in its billing system, but rather a systems error that caused the issue.

It said it had taken remedial actions, self-reported the incidents to the regulator, and commenced a comprehensive internal review of the matter in June.

“Existing customers who were overcharged have been refunded,” CRU added. 

“Existing customers who were overcharged by more than €40 have been credited with a certain amount of compensation.” 

The regulator added it would seek written confirmation that all affected customers had been refunded, as well as the findings of its internal review.