Families face paying about €2.41 a month more for electricity from October 1st to pay for investment in the Republic’s energy networks, regulators confirmed on Tuesday.
That will add €29 a year to domestic electricity bills.
Electricity customers pay standing charges on their bills to cover the cost of maintaining the network that transmits power to homes and businesses.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) said on Tuesday that those charges could increase by €2.41 a month on average for homes and businesses to cover these costs for 12 months from October 1st.
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Standing charges vary according to supplier and other factors, but can top €30 a month currently, or more than €60 on the two-monthly bills paid by many homes.
While households can lower bills by cutting back on energy use, they pay the same standing charges irrespective of consumption.
The money is paid to State companies EirGrid and ESB Networks to maintain and extend the systems that deliver electricity from power plants to customers.
ESB Networks, part of the ESB Group, will need €1.34 billion next year while national electricity grid operator EirGrid will need €1.39 billion, a total of €2.7 billion, according to the CRU.
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In total, this represents a €190.4 million, or 7.5 per cent, increase on the €2.53 billion total allocated to the State companies in 2025, the regulator said.
The commission said that it had reviewed the companies’ spending plans to ensure that the cost is recovered in a fair and transparent way from customers.
Electricity suppliers can choose not to pass on all or some of the CRU-sanctioned increase from next October.
The agency determines network charges but allows suppliers to decide themselves whether they will absorb or pass on the cost.
EirGrid is responsible for the national grid, the backbone of the system that transmits electricity from power stations to customers, while ESB Networks has charge of the distribution network that links individual homes and businesses to the grid.
Commissioner Fergal Mulligan said the decision was in line with the regulator’s procedures, to ensure the Republic had a cleaner, reliable electricity supply.
“We review network operators’ investment plans annually to make sure they’re necessary, cost-effective, and will improve electricity services for customers,” he added.
[ Consumers to face higher electricity costs amid networks investmentOpens in new window ]
EirGrid and ESB Networks are seeking the CRU’s approval for spending €19 billion in total from 2026 to 2030.
The regulator is proposing allowing €14 billion initially, but with scope for up to €19 billion, depending on the progress both make with their plans to boost the grid and distribution systems.
A final decision is due on that in December. Should the companies get approval for their investment proposals, that will be factored into the charges that will apply from October 1st next year.
