Image: Alamy Stock Photo HARDSHIP FUNDS TO help customers in difficulty have been set up by some energy companies, but not all.
“As always, we would encourage any customer who is concerned about their energy costs to contact us directly, and we will work with them to find a solution together.”Electric Ireland recently told an Oireachtas Committee that the company’s hardship fund amounts to €3 million, but is being kept under review.
Ryan is understood to have asked suppliers to be flexible, and while some are putting in additional supports such as increased resources in customer service, others have put hardship funds in place.The funds appear to be somewhat ad hoc in nature, with each company having their own systems in place, while some do not have any funds set aside.
The company said it is also committed to tackling one of the root causes of energy poverty, by providing improved energy efficiency and heat retention measures for homes.“With this in mind, we have committed to delivering home energy upgrades for up to 600 vulnerable households across the island of Ireland, at no cost to them,” said the spokesperson.
Instead, the company said it works with individual customers who may be experiencing difficulties on a case-by-case basis to provide support and solutions. Pinergy has processes in place to assist customers on an individual basis that are experiencing challenges with their energy costs. Speaking to The Journal, he said hardship funds for big business “are an irritating nuisance overhead expense”.This revelation really undermines Government reliance on the ‘engage with your energy provider’ line as an alternative to banning disconnections across the board this winter.
What about the wholesale price of gas being lower than before the Ukraine war......ripped off as usual. The profits will show it in the end.