BELFAST — Firmus Energy customers across Northern Ireland are facing higher gas bills after the supplier announced price rises for both its Ten Towns and Greater Belfast markets.
The company said the increases will take effect from October and are being driven by higher gas costs on global energy markets, which it linked to the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
For customers in the Ten Towns area, tariffs will rise by 8.98% from 1 October. In Greater Belfast, the increase will be 12.5% from 8 October.
Firmus said it had held off as long as it could before raising prices, but said it could no longer absorb the pressure from wholesale costs.
What the new Firmus Energy tariffs mean for Ten Towns customers
The Ten Towns price rise will affect about 77,000 households and small businesses in an area that includes Antrim, Armagh, Banbridge, Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon and Newry, as well as Londonderry and more than 25 other towns and villages.
Firmus said the new tariff will add about £7 a month to the average bill in that network area. The company said the rise reflects the higher cost of gas on international markets rather than any change in local usage.
The supplier said it has reduced tariffs quickly in the past when market conditions allowed, and hopes to do so again if wholesale prices fall. Customers in the Ten Towns area will see the new charges from the start of October.
The announcement comes at a time when many households are already trying to manage wider living costs and winter fuel use.
Greater Belfast customers will see a larger increase from 8 October
In Greater Belfast, around 54,000 customers will be affected by a 12.5% tariff rise from 8 October. Firmus said that will add around £12 a month to the average bill.
The company said it had no option but to pass on the higher costs after a prolonged period of elevated wholesale gas prices. It said the situation in the Middle East has had a direct impact on energy markets.
Firmus did not say the increase was linked to any local network issue or operational problem. Instead, it framed the rise as a market response to the cost of buying gas.
Customers in the Greater Belfast area will be the latest to see bills rise after similar pressure on suppliers elsewhere in Northern Ireland.
Regulator and consumer advice as another winter bill rise lands
The increase follows last week’s announcement by SSE Airtricity, Northern Ireland’s largest natural gas supplier, which said it would raise prices by almost 19% from 1 October for its 200,000 customers.
Leigh Greer of the Utility Regulator said anyone worried about paying for gas or electricity should contact their supplier as soon as possible. Suppliers can discuss payment options and the support available.
Raymond Gormley of the Consumer Council said the latest rise was not a surprise, but warned it could make for a difficult winter for consumers. He said about two-thirds of energy use happens in the winter months, when households are using more fuel and paying more for it.
He urged customers to look at ways of saving money, including how they pay for energy and which supplier they use.
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