Let’s hope for a balmy spring – we can’t afford not to! Gas prices have increased by more than a third in two years. The last round of increases – of up to 2.04% – heaped almost €20 a year extra onto household bills. Our other major energy bill– electricity is set to rise by an expected 2 % – adding further pressure on household budgets. The last round of gas price increases added a... read more>

Are our electricity prices the most shocking in Europe? Electricity prices are set to rise again in February – by another 2per cent. That follows a rise in the cost of electricity of approximately 3 per cent last November – adding approximately €40 a year to household bills.  And that increase came on top of a €20 charge to subsidise wind and peat power. Only a few months earlier an EU... read more>

Do you know how much electricity or gas you use each year? Most people don’t and research suggests that’s why householders are shocked when their bills arrive. And, that’s proven by the large number of people who can’t pay their bill in full on time. The Commission for Energy Research says that a typical 3 bedroomed household uses 5,300kWh of electricity a year – based on Electric Irel... read more>

What makes you want to join in a consumer campaign? And have you got the time to be involved? The answer to any, or all of these questions determines whether a campaign is successful. In Ireland, campaigners on consumer issues have had mixed results – and for a variety of reasons. One of the most successful must surely have been the “Buy Irish” campaign pioneered by Vivian Murray of... read more>

People power around the world has saved households hundreds of euro every year. Europe and in Australia consumers have banded together to campaign for better deals on high household bills – and now Irish consumers will show their appetite for change the market for change. A study by a British consumer watchdog says that collective switching using social media could “shift the balance of p... read more>