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EARLIER THIS WEEK, we asked people to share their stories about how the rising energy costs have impacted their lives.
Prices for electricity, gas and fuel have been steadily increasing over the last couple of years, but now, due to reduced supplies, high demand and geopolitical issues around the world, they have reached new heights.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused prices to spike globally, driving oil and gas prices to their highest levels in years and causing many countries to reconsider their energy supplies.
With wholesale energy prices reaching their highest levels, energy providers are having to pay more for electricity and gas, and have begun passing that cost onto consumers.
On Thursday, Flogas became the latest energy company to announce a price hike. In May, its electricity and gas prices will increase by 27% and 29%, respectively.
Bord Gáis, Energia, Electric Ireland and SSE Airtricity have all recently announced price increases for their customers as well.
Soaring energy costs have also caused annual inflation to accelerate from 5.9% in February to 6.7% last month, well above the European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) target of 2% across the Eurozone.
The Government is planning to introduce a number of measures, which could include mandatory time-of-day pricing for electricity to help save on household bills, but it has ruled out any further financial support.
With the Carbon Tax set to increase next month, along with rent, house prices and childcare costs all above the European average, it’s fair to say that people are feeling the pinch.
So The Journal readers got in touch to share how the rising energy costs have impacted their lives.
While the responses we received were varied, each person who shared their experience with us has had to cut back on something in order to save money to heat their homes or keep the lights on.
Peter, a pensioner living alone in a rural part of the country, said that he has had one 8×10 feet room in his three bedroom home completely insulated in order to economise.
“I will spend most of my time in there, thus cutting my electricity usage in half,” he told The Journal.
He also said that he intends to use a small, portable fridge instead of a fridge freezer in order to cut down on electricity costs.
“The cost of electricity is outrageous. If the electricity companies were losing money, it might be different, but that’s not the case. Every one of them are profiteering with Government assistance.”
Peter’s house has turbary rights, the right to cut and carry away turf from a specific plot of bogland, in a nearby bog, and he said that he intends to use turf again to heat his home.
“I’m a pensioner and I need a warm atmosphere more now than when I was young,” he said.
A woman in her 60s living with her husband in the southwest of the country said that she now has to think twice before using her electric oven, and only uses it if she’s cooking multiple dishes.
She told The Journal that she and her husband use their electric shower once or twice a week maximum and have shortened the time they shower for.
“Our electricity supply is with Energia, who recently increased their prices by 15%. We pay Level Pay, but in February, our bill went up by a third in comparison to the same time in 2021, so I am having to top up the monthly payment some months. I also now switch everything off at the socket after every use,” she said.
The woman and her husband both suffer with chronic pain conditions, and she was recently made redundant due to the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning she now relies solely on her husband’s pension.
She also recently sold her car as she could no longer afford to keep it. “We are down to one vehicle and since the diesel prices have gone up so much, we really think before we go anywhere.”
We drive the 18 mile round trip to do grocery shopping each week, but if I have a hair appointment or either of us have medical appointments, we do the grocery shopping on the same day so we don’t go out more than once a week.
I once covered the whole of Munster for my job. I couldn’t afford to get another job now in a similar field to match my qualifications and experience due to the transport fuel cost increases, even if my chronic pain condition didn’t exist.
“It’s a real worry where all this is going because when fuel increases, everything increases, including groceries,” she said.
While going into summer is “a bit of a relief” in terms of heating costs, she said that she and her husband are already purchasing their coal and briquettes for next winter before the Carbon Tax increase in May.
The woman added that although the Government’s €200 electricity credit is very welcome, it’s the ongoing increase in prices which will cause her to have to really think before using any power.
“The zero PSO on electricity will help and we would definitely benefit from reduced off-peak usage prices, although I’m hoping that’s not dependent on having a smart meter because we don’t really have need for one,” she said.
A woman in her 60s living in Leitrim said that she took early retirement and is currently living on a very modest occupational pension until she receives a State pension.
She said that her retirement budget has always been tight so she’s used to budgeting and not being able to spend freely.
“Being single, I have the flexibility to alter things to keep in budget that families would perhaps not have,” she told The Journal.
Her budget means she has reduced the amount of food and household shopping she spends, as well as cutting back on clothes and non-essentials like perfume and books.
“I keep it very simple and can eat well for not too much money. Eating out is a no-no. I even think twice about a takeout coffee! As energy costs continue to rise, my spend on food will reduce even further. This is the only way to balance the books,” she said.
She has also cut back on how often she uses her central heating. “I have oil and cost increases here are my main worry.”
I put it on for an hour at a time, whereas before it would be on a whole morning or evening. The house is quite big and there is no denying that it does get cold. I might put the coal stove on and keep that one room toasty in very cold weather. Throws and thermal underwear are being used.
To keep electricity costs down, she is only doing one washing machine load a week, taking shorter showers and making sure unnecessary lights are turned off.
“The smart metre is good for checking usage day-by-day and I am making an effort to reduce usage. For me, the €200 electricity payment is over two months usage and very helpful.”
She said she stays local and doesn’t use her car to travel outside of the county anymore, and she no longer goes on holiday. “The budget simply will not stretch to that. I’m not really bothered anymore though, it’s too much hassle,” she said.
“It looks a bit grim on paper but it isn’t really, I am managing and avoiding any debt.”
A woman living with her family in Tipperary told The Journal that for them, turning the heating on to keep warm has become a last resort.
She said: “We have had to cut back substantially on using our oil fired heating. It is literally on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. If the day is in any way warm or mild, it’s switched off. If we get cold, we layer up on clothes now or light a fire.
“How did we come to be in this predicament that heating is a luxury and not just a necessity? Where will it all end?”
She said that while they have not been pushed into fuel poverty, they know several people who have.
“I know people who are having to choose between feeding their family and feeding the meter. It’s a disgrace. We are thankful that this is not our situation.”
The couple live in a 1930s North facing bungalow and the woman said she would like to have the house retrofitted, but that it’s impossible to afford.
We would love to avail of the deep retrofit to improve our energy efficiency, but the Government grants are nowhere near enough to put it within our reach. We were quoted nearly €50,000 that we’d have to fund ourselves – and even at that I think we’d have been doing well. I’m sorry, but who has that kinda money lying around?
Neither the woman nor her husband commute anymore. If they did, she said, it wouldn’t have paid them to work.
“My husband did a 100km round trip every day and I did nearly 250km with toll on top. I pity anyone on the road for work right now. I’m just basically tipping around and being ‘Mom taxi’, and my diesel costs are nearly double what they were last year.”
A single mother of two children living in Clare told The Journal that she’s good at planning meals, keeping costs down and negotiating the best deals, but that she simply can’t cut back any more.
Both her children work part-time and take two buses to travel to and from college during the week, but don’t qualify for the adjacent travel rate.
“My food bill has gone up by 30% in the past six months. I put €50 diesel into the car each week and I have not gone anywhere other than work in months – I even do the food shop on the way home on a Friday,” she said.
I currently have no oil to heat the house. It ran out last month and I can’t afford to fill it. My car tax is due in May and it honestly makes me sick with worry as to how I’ll pay it.
To make matters worse, she said, she has just been given a rent review, with the price set to go from €800 per month to €1,600 per month on 1 July.
“At this stage, the choice between eating and heating will be no more because I will not be able to afford either with this rent increase,” she said.
While she has checked for alternative accommodation, there are no properties in the town where she lives and only 14 in the whole county. The cheapest is €1,150, but it’s off the beaten track, so it would make it impossible for her children to get to college.
“The cost of living in 2020 and 2021 was a struggle, but this year, I just can’t keep my head above water,” she said.
I spend my days juggling money to keep people off my back but I’m not living. This is not living. I’m honestly just getting through each day, trying my best to support my children and get them through college in the hope that they’ll have a better future.
“I just hate that in a first world country, where I’ve worked all my life, things are so hard. Life shouldn’t be like this.”
Some quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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I’m on social welfare at the moment with a wife and two kids and when I get paid and all the bills and food shopping is done we have €20 left for the week and before all the haters come out because “IM NOT WORKING AND CLAIMING BENIFITS” which is of a genuine reason! let me tell you it’s extremely hard don’t know what we are supposed to do and that €20 we have spare is a top up for food for the week milk,bread etc.Its very hard going right now to get by.
@i.Have.it.Me.: and when the fuel allowance is stopped we are going to be down €33 so we will have to lessen something by €13 but to be fair we won’t starve as we have a roof over our heads and food,will just have no disposable income,could be alot worse off
@i.Have.it.Me.: I think the purpose of social welfare is to get you by, don’t know what else you’re looking for
@Genera L Consensus: hater number one………….
@Genera L Consensus: I have paid my prsi for years and years just hoped I could have been looked after Abit better bet hey
@i.Have.it.Me.: it’s not hate Buddy and you know that too
@Genera L Consensus: except it’s not. What are ye not seeing.?serious question.
@Genera L Consensus: We live in one of the richest countries in the world. We have billionaires, millioners, we have thousands earning over 100.000 yearly. Why the rise in prices due to the Ukrainian war etc can not be absorbed by the privilege before it hits the people who get by with a welfare payment or live in work poverty?
We all live in this society, the privileged are well sheltered, but the rest of us will be left to deal with growing insecurity, crime and general unrest.
@Genera L Consensus: You do know that pensioners, people with disabilities, and carers are some of those on social welfare. If you think the purpose of social welfare is to “just get by”, you don’t understand its purpose. People pay into it for years with the understanding that should they need it, that it is a safety net so they can continue to live as a part of society(that’s the social bit), not just exist. Barely existing is not getting by.
@i.Have.it.Me.: We all have a group that we feel are malinged. Mine are the working who pay rent, are trying to do the right thing but are sunk under the weight of rent, never having their own roof over their head. I admire their resilience..Hopefully we will get a government that will support this group.
@Carol Oates: yes I do know, OP never explained his situation of why he is on social welfare. And there is a sense of entitlement out there. He has 2 kids, roof over their head and food on the table. I failed to understand what more should he be getting? Holiday to Portugal?
@Genera L Consensus: It is actually none of yours, mine, or anyone else’s why he is on social welfare. A life is what he deserves, not just an existence. I cannot stress enough how the current situation for both people working and people out of work is destroying peoples health because people are existing to pay bills, not living. A sense of not being a burden on society is the very basic of what every human deserves. He didn’t ask for a holiday to Portugal. Only enough to have some semblance of a life in this country which always seems to have plenty for elites and overseas but pittance for those in need here.
@Genera L Consensus: that easy, eh? Food, shelter and anything above that goes to holidays in Portugal.
What about transport to school, doctor appointments, etc. Or after school activities. School fees for trips, etc. What about clothes, shoes, jumpers, trousers, school bags/material, etc. What about unexpected expenses, new washing machine, fridge, cooker, etc if old one stop working. And the normal tears and wear of a house? Paint the walls, change the carpet, replace a mattress, etc. A simple broken blender, toaster or kettle is a struggle to replace for someone with €20 left a week, and cheap stuff are cheap for a reason.
And then he has two children, not two dogs, they need a bit more than food, shelter and a few walks around the park. We can’t complain about antisocial behaviour in youths if we are ok with the thought of children growing up in our society with just food and shelter.
This is really tough reading but it’s no surprise to me. The number of people who went straight on to the PUP and had to seek mortgage forbearance in the early stages of the pandemic raised a red flag as to the true state of the economy.
On one side, we have a cohort of very well paid people working in jobs with very good benefits but for every one of them we have two others working on low wage with no benefits at all and not enough savings to tide them over even for the short term.
What we desperately need is government policy to try and equalise the situation and that doesn’t just mean supports and tax breaks for workers, it also means measures to force greedy SME employers (and there are lots of them here) to pay people better, provide sick pay and treat employees fairly.
I really struggle to understand, given our backdrop, why so many people here are complaining about the proposed enhanced sick pay and auto enrolled pensions thta are being brought in – these are measures that will actually help alleviate poverty issues.
In the interim, price increases on energy supplies should be halted – it’s immoral that corporations should be given the go ahead to raise prices and push people into poverty in order to protect profit margins.
Here’s an idea, if you’re an energy company seeking an approval for price increases, you should only be granted it if you agree to build social housing from your vast annual profits.
@Lee King Buckett: well said. Collective bargaining, private sector unionisation, sick pay, social welfare as a proportion of last salary, etc. These are all things we perform worse on compared to our European counterparts. In some we’re slowly catching up, but more is needed.
I am just unable too continue on I am a diabetic with lots of GP visits but has stopped because I can not afford the charge of 80 euros since I had to give up my job as I was unable to continue due to being tired all the time
@Stasia Morley: Very sorry you’re in this situation, apply now for a medical card , hope things get better for you x.
@Stasia Morley: medical card ?
@Stasia Morley: my son is ty1 diabetic he was diagnosed at age 6 he’s now 21 and all his medical needs have been covered for free and he will always be covered,may I ask how you aren’t?
@Caitríona O’Neill Ashe: Does he still have a Medical Card, my son’s was taken off him at 16.
@Pat Barry: yes he does Pat.
My sympathies to all who are struggling. One commenter respectfully said to another ‘Hang on there buddy’, but I would ask ‘hang on to what?’ What is being provided to allow people work, commute and live reasonably without unreasonable worry, pain and interminable struggle?. I’m not suggesting free money, but moreso a landscape which allows people perform in the expectation of a fair result in the capacity they can. This is any governments responsibility. Where is this landscape?
At some stage this will come knocking on banks doors with people not been able to pay their mortgages which in turn I think another bank crisis again. Its extremely hard out there for people at the moment, fuel, heating, food costs. This is not going to end anytime soon.
As long as the government refuse to regulate, energy companies will keep adding huge bill increases. Prices are going up globally, but the fact that energy companies are raising the standing charges too proves that they 100% are taking advantage of the situation to gouge more money. Greed had this country ruined, along with a government that enables the greedy to fleece the public.
Anyway the whole world is bulls,,,t right now so take it as you want
@i.Have.it.Me.: Hang on in there buddy been there bought the t shirt. Don’t let any negative comments on here bring ye down. Best of luck wishing you all the best.
@i.Have.it.Me.: there is always a commentator or ten who will jump straight to the sponging train of thought. For whatever your personal reasons are for being on government financial aid, I’m sure they are both relative and necessary. Sorry to hear that you are struggling so bad. I’ve been in this situation and worse, and I still fluctuate between just about putting my head above water and going under. MABS is a good start with providing information how to make things easier (if even possible) but you may already have looked into that. I wish you all the best.
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