Electric Ireland’s announcement of imminent price increases for its electricity and gas customers will come as a further blow to struggling households across the country, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s energy spokesperson, said:
“Electric Ireland customers are set to be hit with price increases of 8 per cent and 7.7 per cent on their electricity and gas bills respectively from July 1.
“There are almost 320,000 customers in arrears with their electricity bills and today’s confirmation of price hikes will significantly add to these numbers in the months ahead.
“With no targeted energy supports in place for struggling households – as called for by the Social Democrats – hard pressed customers have been abandoned by the Government and left at the mercy of the market.
“Conflict in the Middle East continues to drive up wholesale energy costs, but households and businesses simply cannot take any more pain.
“Meanwhile, new research showing a link between rising electricity prices and data centres must be taken seriously by the Government.
“A study commissioned by Friends of the Earth Ireland and Beyond Fossil Fuels suggests that an estimated cumulative average of €360 has been added to household electricity bills in recent years due to high data centre energy demand.
“Consumers are paying a high price for the Government’s failure to rein in data centres, with Friends of the Earth warning that the cost to households could intensify dramatically in the coming years.
“In 2024, data centres accounted for 22 per cent of Irish electricity usage – more than all urban households in the State. This compares to just 5 per cent of energy use by data centres in 2015.
“When I became a TD six years ago, one of the first motions I brought forward proposed a moratorium on data centres. This was not a blanket objection to data centres per se, but a call for their strategic management by the Government – something that was not happening back then and is still not happening today.
“Compared to the situation in Europe – where data centre energy usage is between 2 to 3 per cent – their expansion in this country is putting severe pressure on our electricity grid.
“It is really important that when decisions are being made about data centres, we know how many we can afford from a climate perspective, from an energy security perspective and from an energy pricing perspective. The more pressure and demand that is put on a commodity such as electricity, the higher the price goes.
“This has been borne out in the study published this week, which is why I am today renewing my call for a moratorium on data centres until a full analysis of their impact is carried out by the Government.
“In future, planning permission for data centres should only be granted if they are efficient; can work in a complex electrical environment; can act as storage; and can function as part of an overall system.
“To mitigate against further energy price rises, the Social Democrats will continue to push for the adoption of our ‘Solar for All’ plan. Our proposal includes a doubling of grants for solar installation to €3,600, and the inclusion of solar panels in the ‘Warmer Homes Scheme’ to help families cut electricity costs by an average of €450 a year.”
May 28, 2026