Customer penalised with very high catch-up bill among 24,000 complaints to regulator

For the customer penalised over the gas meter being safety locked, CRU said they had done 'the right thing' by continuing to try and submit readings and paying bills on time. File photo

A gas customer whose meter was “safety locked” after a leak was penalised with a very high catch-up bill after his meter readings were rejected “with no explanation”, the energy regulator has said.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) found “serious failings” from both Gas Networks Ireland and the customer’s supplier across seven years, with the supplier trying to re-bill the customer at the current much higher rates when the meter was finally read correctly in 2024.