THE POSSIBILITY of banning the ESB and other suppliers from cutting off electricity or gas to households who fail to pay their bills will be put to the energy regulator at an Oireachtas committee tomorrow, its chairman has said.
MJ Nolan, chairman of the Select Committee on Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, said he would seek the views of energy suppliers and the regulator about a “zero disconnect” policy for domestic electricity customers.
The ESB, Bord Gáis, Airtricity and the Commission for Energy Regulation have been called to address the committee tomorrow on payment arrears and disconnections. Almost 2,500 households a month – 80 a day – are having their electricity supply disconnected after falling into serious arrears with their bills, according to the commission.
The Money, Advice and Budgeting Service urged the Government last week to put in place rules to protect more than 100,000 customers who are in arrears with their energy bills.
A possible option could be to replicate the Northern Irish policy where, since 1996, Northern Ireland Electricity has had a zero disconnection policy for domestic customers unless fraud is involved.
Where domestic customers get into serious arrears a meter is installed in the home and each time money is paid into it, a proportion is put towards paying off the arrears.
The policy followed direction from the North’s utility regulator, which viewed electricity supply as a health and safety issue, a regulator spokesman said.
Mr Nolan said of the Northern policy: “It is something we would love to look at and something I will definitely be putting to the regulator.”
Liz McManus, Labour spokeswoman on communications, energy and natural resources and a member of the committee, also said the North’s policy should be examined.
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, said a “zero disconnect” policy was one of a range of options being considered in a departmental study of fuel poverty.
“That will be published in the autumn. It is looking at all the different options.”
