Airtricity to Sell Electricity in Northern Ireland

Dublin-based energy firm Airtricity has announced today that it will be selling electricity to households in Northern Ireland from next month. By doing so it becomes the first firm to offer any competition to NIE in the field of electricity provision here. Airtricity managing director Kevin Greenhorn said it was "fantastic news" for the consumer.

"Consumers want competition as it will not only drive down their energy costs but also provide families across Northern Ireland with the real choice and real savings in their electricity supply that they have been anticipating for so long," he added. 

Customers who sign up to Airtricity can expect to pay around 14% less, with the average household electricity bill being cut from £500 to £430 annually.

The chief executive of the Consumer Council, Antoinette McKeown, said the announcement was "good news". She added: "The Consumer Council hopes that this competition will bring lower prices, which will in turn help tackle our unacceptable levels of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland, with one household in two currently struggling to pay its energy bills."

The Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation, Iain Osborne also welcomed the news. "Consumers have told us that they want a choice of electricity supplier and we have worked vigorously with potential suppliers to make this happen," he said. He added "As a regulator, we will carry on with our work to protect the interests of consumers by continuing to control the prices of NIE Energy and ensuring all suppliers provide a quality standard of service."

As Airtricity is a Dublin based firm which currently provides electricity to customers in the Republic, today's announcement means that customers on both sides of the border can now get their electricity from the same supplier.