Ban on electricity and gas suppliers cutting off households extended by one month

Regulators have extended a ban on energy companies cutting off families in arrears by another month to March 31st.

Last year, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) barred electricity and gas suppliers from cutting off households that have fallen behind with their bills until the end of this month.

The commission said on Tuesday that it would extend the ban until March 31st, giving customers an extra month’s breathing space. The moratorium was originally to be in place from December 1st, 2022, until February 28th.

Regulators announced the move as the Government boosted welfare and child benefit payments as part of a €1.3 billion package to ease inflation’s continuing impact on householders.

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Karen Trant, the CRU’s director of customer policy and protection, said the commission considered extending the disconnections ban to be appropriate as customers continued to face high prices and uncertainty.

“The CRU will continue to monitor the levels of debt and arrears for customers in advance of a further review of customer protection measures that are in place with suppliers, with the first of those reviews to be undertaken in the summer before winter 2023/24,” she added.

Other protections include allowing customers a minimum of two years to repay debts to energy suppliers, and a reduced debt burden on pay-as-you-go top ups from 25 per cent to a maximum of 10 per cent.

Suppliers must also place customers with a financial hardship meter on the cheapest rate and must promote registration for vulnerable customers.

The CRU sets out the minimum service requirement, including customer protection measures that energy suppliers must adhere to in their dealings with customers.