On October 10 2023, the Government announced that electricity credits for households totalling €450 (€412.86 + €37.14 VAT) will be available in three instalments of €150 (€137.62 + €12.38 VAT).
The payments were to be made in the December 2023, January 2024 with March 2024 being the final billing cycle that the credit is to be applied to.
No action is required by customers as it is automatically available to residential electricity customer accounts.
Oversight of the Scheme
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has oversight of the Scheme. The Scheme is being operated by the Distribution System Operator (ESB Networks) and electricity suppliers. ESB Networks will pass the funds to the energy suppliers. In turn, the energy suppliers will credit the domestic electricity accounts using the Meter Point Registration Number (MPRN).
The credit is designed to provide all householders (homeowners, landlords and tenants) with a contribution to their electricity bills. In some cases, tenants in rented accommodation don’t have an electricity account in their own names and pay their landlord for their electricity. The expectation in those circumstances is that landlords will pass on the credit to their tenants.
For further information, please refer to the website of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities: https://www.cru.ie/consumer-information/government-electricity-costs-emergency-benefit-scheme-faqs/
Whether a tenant has the right to choose their electricity supplier or not.
Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 as amended (“the RTA”), a tenant is obliged to pay charges or taxes but only where this is provided for in the lease or tenancy agreement (Section 16 (a)(ii)). Charges relating to the supply of services such as electricity are generally payable by the consumer to whom the service is supplied and the tenant would therefore be responsible for them. It does arise occasionally, however, that the parties agree that the landlord will pay for all the charges and the rent will be inclusive of all or some of the charges payable.
The obligations in relation to the payment of charges should be clearly stated in the tenancy agreement.
There is no provision in the RTA giving a tenant the right to choose their electricity supplier. Equally, there is nothing in the RTA precluding a tenant from choosing their electricity supplier. The RTB encourages landlords and tenants to engage with each other with a view to agreeing these matters. Once an agreement has been reached it is advisable that this should be specified in the lease/tenancy agreement.
It is worth noting that a landlord is obliged to comply with Regulation 12 of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulation 2019. Regulation 12 provides that Landlords must ensure that all gas, oil and electricity installations, including pipework, storage facilities and electrical distribution boxes shall be maintained in good repair and safe working order.
Where landlords and tenants cannot resolve matters between themselves
In the event of a dispute arising, tenants and landlords are encouraged to try and resolve the matter together first by keeping lines of communication open. In the event that the dispute cannot be resolved between the parties, the matter may be referred for the RTB’s free mediation service, where an independent mediator helps both parties come up with a solution that is mutually beneficial. Alternatively, parties can apply for adjudication with the RTB where an independent adjudicator makes a finding based on the evidence related to the case.
Further information on both dispute resolution mechanisms is available here:
Further information
Tenants and landlords should have regard to the relevant information on www.gov.ie in the first instance around this scheme. If you have any specific queries related to this Scheme, please email customer.service@decc.gov.ie
For more information on referring a dispute for mediation or adjudication you can visit the RTB’s website here.