Firmus Energy announces gas hikes between roughly 9% and 12.5% depending on where in Northern Ireland you live
Firmus Energy has announced it is hiking up customers’ gas bills, blaming the move on the Iran war.
Firmus consumers are to expect a tariff increase of 8.98% for its ‘Ten Towns’ customers and 12.5% for its Greater Belfast customers.
The firm had hiked up its ‘Ten Towns’ price by 15.65% in July, having dropped it by 10.1% in March.
The last change in the Belfast region was a 8.5% drop last September.
The ‘Ten Towns’ new tariff will be effective from October 1, and Firmus says it will equate to an extra £7 per month on the average bill for customers in this network area.
For customers in the Greater Belfast network, the new tariff will be effective from October 8, and will equate to an extra £12 per month according to the company.
Firmus supplies gas to 136,000 homes and businesses across Northern Ireland, of which about 77,000 are in the ‘Ten Towns’ zone.
Despite the name ‘Ten Towns’, the area covered includes many more than 10 towns.
It takes in Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Coleraine, Craigavon, Lurgan, and Portadown, Limavady, Londonderry, Newry, plus “more than 25 other towns and villages in the surrounding areas” according to the firm.
Meanwhile Firmus’ Greater Belfast zone goes far beyond the capital itself to include Lisburn, Bangor, Holywood, Donaghadee, Groomsport, Millisle, Newtownards, Carryduff, Comber, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Larne, and east Co Down.
In a statement announcing the tariff change, Firmus’ head of regulation Sharleen Winning said: “We cannot ignore the impact the situation in the Middle East is having on the cost of energy, and unfortunately this has left us with no option other than to increase our tariffs.
"We have held off for as long as we could in the hope of a resolution that would lead to a reduction in the global wholesale prices.
“As Northern Ireland’s largest gas supplier by volume, we want to provide the best value possible to all our customers and we have demonstrated that when we are in a position to reduce tariffs, we do so without delay, and we hope to be able to do so again, once the global markets allow this.”
The Consumer Council, a public body that monitors the price of fuel in Northern Ireland, has broken down what the changes will mean to an annual bill.
In the ‘Ten Towns’ zone, the energy tariff increase means that the annual gas bill of a typical household with a credit meter will rise by around £87, or £85 for customers with a prepayment gas meter (PAYG).
In the Greater Belfast area, it said that the annual gas bill of a typical household with a credit meter will rise by around £147, or £144 for those with a PAYG meter.
Raymond Gormley, head of energy policy at the Consumer Council said: “This is the second tariff increase from firmus energy in the Ten Towns network within a couple of months and the first increase in the Greater Belfast network in a year.
"This will be very concerning news for firmus energy customers as their typical annual heating and electricity bills will now top £2,000.
“Global wholesale gas prices have increased significantly since March 2026 as a direct consequence of the ongoing Middle East conflict, and another rise on gas tariffs this autumn was inevitable due to the continued volatility of the energy markets.”