Irish people struggling with increased energy prices more than others in EU

Over the past 18 months gas and electricity prices have reached record levels all over Europe, which have put a huge burden on household finances.  

However a new report from the European Commission shows that Irish people are struggling with energy costs more than households elsewhere in the EU. 

According to the Commission's research, 26.4% of Irish people have experienced difficulties affording their energy bills as a result of the energy crisis, the fifth highest in the EU. 

This compares to an EU average of 15.9% and a rate of just 4.2% in Sweden.

The Greeks have been worst affected. A shocking 51.9% of people there have experienced difficulty with their energy bills. 

As a result of the energy crisis, almost 73% of Irish people say they have changed their everyday habits at home to try save on energy costs. This is just above the EU average of 70.7%. Kudos to the Danes though - 86% of them have changed their habits, the highest in the EU. 

Just under a third (32.5%) of Irish people say they have changed their transport habits as a result of the energy crisis. This is the sixth highest in the EU and compare to an EU average of 28.4%.

The research also shows that almost 40% of Irish people have had to dip into their savings over the past six months as a result of rising inflation. This compares to an EU average of 36.8%.

Once again the Greeks have been impacted the most. Almost 58% of them have had to use some of the savings, the highest of all member states.  

And on the subject of mortgages, just over 20% of Irish people said their monthly mortgage repayment had increased over the past six months, the sixth highest in the EU. These would all likely have been tracker customers as no variable rates had been increased yet in Ireland when the survey was undertaken. 

In France, where ultra long-term fixed rates are common, just 1.9% of people reported seeing an increase in their mortgage repayments - the lowest in the EU. The EU average was 10.1%.  

The results in detail

The 2023 European Commission Consumer Conditions survey was carried out by Ipsos between 18th October and 4th December 2022, among a representative sample of adults over 18 in each of the EU’s 27 member states.

Here is the number of people reporting difficulty in paying their energy bills in select EU countries. 

Here is the number of people who have withdrawn money from their savings over the past six months in select EU countries. 

Here is the number of people who have changed their everyday habits at home to save on energy costs in select EU countries. 

The report also looked at attitudes to travel and other concerns. For example, Irish people are more willing to accept vouchers from airlines if a flight is cancelled rather than accepting cash. Almost 50% of people in Ireland say they'd be willing to accept a voucher compared to an EU average of only 33.7%. 

If you want to know more about your rights in the event of a flight cancellation see here.

And you can find all the data on the European Commission survey here. 

Why are Irish people struggling more?

Even before the energy crisis began, Irish energy prices, in particular electricity prices, were hardly cheap. In fact, according to Eurostat last year, Ireland had the fourth most expensive electricity costs in all of Europe. And of course they’ve risen even more since.    

Our cold, damp climate, and draughty housing stock also means that heating our homes and keeping ourselves warm is more difficult and costly than in many other countries. 

And while the Government’s €600 energy credit this winter was welcome, the level of support wasn’t quite as generous as in other countries. For example, a report by Bruegel, a European think tank that specialises in economics, showed Ireland spent just 1.3% of our GDP on shielding households and firms from rising energy prices and their consequences on the cost of living. This was the fifth lowest in the EU (however it needs to be acknowledged that GDP isn't a great metric for Ireland as it overstates our wealth considerably. Had our spending been based on GNP it would have looked slightly better).    

Help and support 

Even in so-called normal times, people can encounter difficulties paying their energy bills. But with gas and electricity prices at record highs, more people than usual might be struggling.  

However, there are plenty of supports and services are available to help people.

Supports include:

• Social welfare support 
• Support from your energy supplier
• Support from charities 

You can find more info on all the support that's available here.