SSE Airtricity and Budget Energy announce price rises for 250,000 people in Northern Ireland

Two of Northern Ireland's top four biggest energy suppliers have announced price increases on Friday, with the rise in costs set to affect 250,000 people.

SSE Airtricity announced a 33% increase in prices, and the Consumer Council said the Budget Energy is set to increase prices by 27% from Friday 27 May 2022.

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SSE said on Friday that increased wholesale energy costs had led to the rise. They said that they are increasing support "to customers in difficulty".

The Consumer Council estimates that the average SSE customer will see price rises of £248 per year, while the average Budget Energy customer will see increases of £275 per year.

Peter McClenaghan, Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability at the Consumer Council said that while consumers understand the price increases are due to global problems, "it doesn’t make it any easier for people to pay their bills"Friday's announcement is the latest in a long line of price increases for energy consumers.

Global supply issues and the war in Ukraine have combined to drive up prices for suppliers, which have in turn been passed onto customers.