SSE Airtricity announces increase of 19.2% for gas customers, effective from 1 October 2026

This will impact around 204,000 domestic gas customers throughout the Greater Belfast and West gas networks, along with approximately 4,500 small commercial customers.

This means that the yearly gas bill of a typical household with a credit meter will rise by about £174 per year.

Those customers with a prepayment gas meter (PAYG) will see their typical costs increase by around £172 per year.

Raymond Gormley, Head of Energy Policy at the Consumer Council, said: “From October, over 200,000 homes in Northern Ireland will see their annual gas costs increase, bringing the average annual bill for a typical credit customer to around £1,080 and the annual cost for a keypad customer to around £1,065.

This is extremely disappointing for households; however, the rise reflects the recent increase in energy wholesale costs due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that began in February 2026.

“This announcement means consumers in the Greater Belfast and West networks are looking at combined annual gas and electricity bills in excess of £2,000 a year.

“We could be facing a very serious situation this winter with higher gas prices, electricity prices and heating oil prices.

"We are deeply concerned about what this could mean for consumers in Northern Ireland as household budgets are already being stretched.

“Unfortunately, this is a global problem caused by geopolitics in the Middle East and the price of the gas we import is outside the control of local companies. Our over reliance on fossil fuels to heat our homes in Northern Ireland makes us very vulnerable to volatile global energy markets.

“Any SSE Airtricity gas customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills or top up their keypad meter should contact their supplier without delay to get advice and support.”

Furthermore, Raymond added: “We would encourage consumers to think about the way they pay for their energy and see if they can reduce their energy costs.

“Being on a standard tariff and paying on receipt of a bill is the most expensive way to pay for your gas and electricity. Switching payment methods, changing billing method or even switching supplier may save you money.”

The Consumer Council’s website has a free independent energy price comparison tool which empowers consumers to compare all gas and electricity tariffs and heating oil prices across Northern Ireland in one place: Electricity, oil and gas | Consumer Council

For consumers who do not have internet access or would like additional support on checking energy tariffs, call the Consumer Council team on 0800 121 6022. You can also contact the team via email: [email protected]