Social welfare Ireland: Households may miss out on €125 energy credit due to little known rule

Households may miss out on the €125 energy credit due to a little known rule.

It was confirmed that people around Ireland will get energy credits totalling €250 between now and February 2025.

But you may not be in line to get them if you don’t meet certain criteria.

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Eoin Clarke, energy expert at Switcher.ie, explained that you need to have used over 150kWh of electricity to get the cost of living measure.

He said: “Some people could miss out on the giveaway if their property used less than 150kWh of electricity between September 2023 and August 2024. Mainly aimed at multiple homeowners, households needn't worry if it's their main residence, they're on the vulnerable register, have a hardship PAYG meter or a microgeneration account.”

To know if you qualify for the energy credits, you should meet the criteria set out below.

The credit will be applied to all domestic electricity accounts registered with an electricity supplier in the Republic of Ireland.

You are eligible for the credit if you are registered on the effective dates as either:

• An urban domestic customer (classified as DG1)
• A rural domestic customers (classified as DG2)

If you own multiple properties, such as a holiday home, in Ireland, you can expect to receive a separate electricity credit for each account.

People that use pre-pay electricity can also avail of the electricity credit. They will be contacted by their energy supplier via text, email or on their top-up note to tell them it has been applied to their account.

Close to the time, energy suppliers with pre-pay meters will contact their customers with more specific instructions on how to redeem the €150 credits.

If you are a tenant in rented accommodation and you pay your landlord directly for your electricity, instead of an energy provider, the credit should be passed on to you by your landlord.

However, don’t worry if you don’t get your energy credit straight away as some energy providers have warned their customers that it might take a bit longer.

Electric Ireland stated on their website: “Some households may not be able to view this credit on your bill until February or March depending on when you are due to bill.”

The credit may not appear on your first bill during these payment periods as it also depends on your individual billing cycle.

People are recommended to check their energy supplier’s website for exact dates.