End of the year 2024, it’s official that at least 300,00 people in Ireland are having serious problems with bills such as power. Since March 2024, the numbers have jumped by 50,000 alone. This is a serious indication that the offering of one-off payments to assist such bills, is frankly having little dent in the issue. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) reports that one in eight are in desperate financial trouble. The dramatic increase in numbers brings the state back up to its highest levels that ever prior existed – and that was when Russia invaded Ukraine through Putin’s instigated war (or “Special operation” as he PR calls it. Calling it a “war” is banned by Putin).
Representatives from the overseeing site, Bonkers.ie. state that gas bills also remain close to a record high too. In October for example, 203 homes had their power cut completely off for not paying their power bills. 12 in the same month, had their gas also cut off. Bonkers’ie warn that the number of people falling behind in their bills is likely to further rise.
The government-issued energy credits have indeed assisted others and such help is very much welcomed – but an ever-continuing fundamental issue, the big companies seriously charging Ireland far more than other EU states (according to data from Eurostat), Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have consistently refused to stand up to them. Both parties let all off repeatedly with their far more exaggerated and then imposed prices on Irish citizens and businesses. Energy and heating costs in the last year are one of the biggest reasons why so many national and local SMEs have collapsed under severe financial bill weight. Prices in Ireland are 60% above the EU average even before taxes, etc are additional slapped on.
Fine Gael/Fianna Fail are also not helping as they further impose additional charges/tariffs that then become part of everyone’s total bill. FG/FF Governments add on VAT (13.5% – though reduced for a limited time to 9%) to electricity bills, as well as the additional PSO levy (Public Service Obligation = forcing people to contribute to the renewable energy sector). On top of all this, there is an additional 6% to 8% of your bill that goes to your supplier to pay for its own overheads and greater boost additional company profits.
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Data Centers.
(Credit to Bonkers.ie)
“Ireland is an attractive destination for data centres primarily due to our cool climate – data centres create a huge amount of heat and need to be cooled, which is far easier and cheaper to do in a moderate climate. However, our competitive corporate tax rate and central geographical location between the US and Europe also helps, as does government policy, which until recently has been hugely accommodating of data centres locating here.
There are currently over 80 data centres operating here, with the vast majority of these located in Dublin, which is the largest data centre hub in Europe. And there are over 20 more either under construction or with planning permission. In most countries data centres only use a small amount of the country’s overall electricity so they don’t have a huge impact on prices. That’s not the case in Ireland.
According to a 2020 study by the European Commission, on average data centres accounted for 2.7% of Europe’s electricity consumption in 2018. This is expected to rise to 3.2% by 2030. However, in Ireland this figure currently rests at 21% for 2023, and is expected to rise to 30% before the end of the decade, highlighting data centres’ unparalleled demand on the electricity grid here. The pressure from data centres has led to fears of blackouts in recent years and meant we’ve had to procure high-cost, high-emission emergency generation to help meet demand and this is putting upward pressure on prices.”
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An additional possible factor that is allowing high prices to be rip-off changed, centers around an accusation of anti-competitive behaviour. ESB, which generates around 40%+ of the country’s electricity, has been accused of using its dominant market position to also keep prices high.
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Other confirmable numbers speak for themself, regarding the continine incompetence and unwillignness of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, to greater tackle prices increases and the companies issing them – besides making poor other efforts themselves in other ways.
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