Irish people struggling with energy crisis costs more than others in EU

Significantly more Irish people have experienced difficulties paying energy bills in recent months than the EU average according to a new piece of research published by the European Commission.

While 16 per cent of people across the EU said affordability had been an issue in recent months, the percentage climbed to 26.4 per cent among Irish consumers.

People in just four other countries found affordability more difficult, with people in Greece struggling the most with 51.9 per cent saying making energy ends meet was difficult.

The percentage of Irish people who said their mortgage repayments had increased was put at more than twice the EU average with 20.5 per cent of people here saying their monthly repayments had been negatively impacted compared with an EU average of 10.1 per cent.

A cryptocurrency investment that seemed too good to be true costs victim almost €10,000

---

‘Tough year’ at Connacht Gold owner Aurivo amid plunging milk prices

---

Irish spending more on alcohol at home than in pubs as consumption drops, report finds

---

Have your say: Are you under 30? Is your living situation affecting your wellbeing? Are you optimistic about the future?

---

[ Energy crisis sends State laughing all the way to the bank ]

The 2023 European Commission Consumer Conditions report also looks at attitudes to travel and other concerns.

Irish people appear more willing to accept vouchers from airlines if a trip is cancelled rather than accepting cash, with almost 50 per cent of people in Ireland saying they would be willing to accept a voucher instead of a cash refund compared with an EU average of one in three.

'We have a lot of eggs in few baskets' - does the positive outlook conceal threats to our economy?

Listen | 34:53

Irish people also displayed considerably more trust in travel packages booked with operators, with 45 per cent saying they had trust in the protections in place for travel packages booked compared with an EU average of just over 30 per cent.

The research also suggested that consumers are frequently exposed online to unfair practices, with 69 per cent of consumers saying they had come across reviews that did not appear genuine.

Privacy concerns were also to the fore with 94 per cent saying they were worried about how their data was being used when it came to targeted advertising.

[ Euro zone inflation drops as energy costs ease but interest rate hikes still on the cards ]

The European Consumer Centres Network activity report for 2022 meanwhile said that the EU-wide organisation dealt with a total of 118,142 inquiries and consumer complaints from consumers all over Europe and assisted them in recovering just under €10 million in consumer claims.

The European Consumer Centre Ireland received 1,665 complaints from Irish consumers against businesses based in the EU and the European Economic Area, and 1,506 complaints from European consumers against businesses based in Ireland.