With Ireland now confirmed as having the highest electricity prices in the EU, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called on the Government to act immediately to tackle soaring energy costs.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s energy spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis energy crisis is with us now and getting worse by the day. Help cannot come soon enough for the more than 317,000 people in arrears on their electricity bills, or the families having to choose between heating their homes of putting food on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo deflect blame, the Government is talking about the National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) submitting a plan to lower costs in the autumn. Evidence of the Government\u2019s lack of urgency is that this taskforce only met on three occasions between its foundation in June 2025 and February of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been an inexcusable delay by the Government in addressing skyrocketing energy costs \u2013 a crisis that was with us long before the US war with Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the taskforce\u2019s earlier recommendations \u2013 that there should be an analysis of price differentials to establish if energy companies are engaged in price gouging \u2013 has still not been carried out by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU).<\/p>\n
\u201cMeanwhile, new research from Eurostat has confirmed that Ireland has the highest household electricity prices in the EU. Increases in prices last year has resulted in the average home paying around \u20ac480 a year more than our European neighbours.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was also reported in the Irish Independent today that Irish households are \u20ac2,000 a year worse off due to rising energy, grocery and health insurance costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith EU state aid rules now relaxed because of the oil crisis to allow for targeted price interventions, the Government has no excuse not to help struggling homes and businesses. As an immediate measure, the Social Democrats have proposed a targeted \u20ac400 energy credit that would be given to households with annual incomes of less than \u20ac70,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut while financial supports are necessary during these exceptional times, we must not lose sight of Ireland\u2019s need to accelerate investment in renewables, such as off-shore wind and solar power.<\/p>\n
“The Social Democrats have a five-point \u2018Solar For All\u2019 plan that would dramatically expand and improve supports for solar installation \u2013 starting with doubling the existing grant from \u20ac1,800 to \u20ac3,600.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeparately, we would reinstate the \u20ac1,000 grant that used to exist for battery storage, which the Government inexplicably cut in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would also include free solar panels as part of the Warmer Homes Scheme, so families most at risk of energy poverty could get them installed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what is needed to help us reach our climate action targets and insulate the country from future energy shocks.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 6, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With Ireland now confirmed as having the highest electricity prices in the EU, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called on the Government to act immediately to tackle soaring energy costs. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s energy spokesperson, said: \u201cThis energy crisis is with us now and getting worse by the day. Help cannot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[650,539,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cost-of-living","category-energy","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n