Ireland’s households in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment will be given a boost from Monday thanks to changes brought in by Budget 2022.
The government firstly opted to increase the rate for the scheme by €5 to €33 per week from October 12, 2021.
Further changes associated with the Budget will come into effect on Monday, November 1, with weekly and lump sum payments reflecting this.
From Monday recipients will see:
- an increase of €5 per week
- 3 weeks arrears for weekly recipients (€15)
- 12 weeks arrears for lump sum recipients (€60)
Meanwhile, the payment that was boosted to help lower-income families meet rising energy costs in Ireland will see the weekly income threshold increase by €20 to €120 from January 2022.
People who are getting Jobseeker's Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance may now qualify for Fuel Allowance after 12 months - which is down from 15 months (if all other qualifying conditions are met) from September 2022.
Already this year, price hikes have been seen from the likes of Electric Ireland, Bord Gais, Energia, SSE Airtricity, Prepay Power, Panda Power and Iberdrola.
Next month, Flogas will increase its prices from Saturday 20th when their standard rate for electricity increases by 19% and gas increases by 26%.
This means roughly an extra €6 per week for electricity customers and an extra €5.60 per week for gas.
Flogas customers could be shelling out up to €300 more per year on their bill due to these rising costs.
Paul Kenny, general manager, Flogas Energy, said: “The rate of increase and volatility in wholesale energy costs in recent months is unprecedented and not something that could have been anticipated.”
He added: “We are continuing to work hard to keep our prices as low as possible for our customers and will be continually reviewing our rates as the market changes.”
