The Consumer Council welcomes savings for gas consumers in the Ten Towns

Michael Legg, Head of Energy Policy at The Consumer Council, said: “We welcome today’s price decrease announced for consumers in the Ten Town’s area, which will be a great relief to many during these difficult times.

“The 12.48% price reduction will benefit around 50,000 domestic gas consumers and small businesses in the Ten Towns area. Households will see a reduction of up to £60 on their typical annual gas bills. This will be especially welcome for those consumers in vulnerable circumstances, as the average weekly discretionary income in Northern Ireland is £119 per week, which is approximately £100 lower than in the rest of the UK.”

Notes:

• The decrease applies to all Ten Towns gas domestic consumers and small businesses using up to 73,200kWh of gas per year.
• The Ten Towns area, operated by Firmus Energy, includes: Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Coleraine, Craigavon, Limavady, Derry/Londonderry and Newry.
• The reduction of £59.76 on the typical annual bill is based on the difference between the current PAYG rate of 3.990 p/kWh and the new PAYG rate of 3.492 p/kWh effective 1 October 2020 using a consumption of 12,000kWh.
• Discretionary income figure from ASDA income tracker January 2020.