Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 April 2022
146. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of closed accounts that were credited or an attempt to credit was made with the €200 grant for electricity bills. [21519/22]
View answerThe Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account, having regard to the exceptional rise in energy prices. The credit of €176.22 (excluding VAT) is being applied to all domestic electricity accounts through April, May and June, and includes prepay meters. This scheme is in addition to the Government’s ongoing measures to address energy poverty and the protection of vulnerable customers, and is in addition to the measures introduced in the Budget.
The scheme applies to all domestic accounts and includes pre-pay customers. The scheme is operated by the Distribution System Operator (ESB Networks) and electricity suppliers with oversight by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.
This is an exceptional measure which uses the single eligibility criterion of a meter point registration number, to ensure payments to each domestic electricity account as early as possible in 2022. As such, it is being applied automatically to all domestic electricity accounts which were held with suppliers on 29 March.
If there is a change of legal entity (i.e. a change in the account holder), it is the account holder registered to the supplier on 29 March 2022 who is eligible to receive the credit. Where accounts are closed prior to 29 March, they will not receive the credit.
Suppliers are required to maintain records of any accounts they have been unable to credit, and to return these unallocated credits for the purpose of the scheme to ESB Networks by 15 July 2022.
