Cost of living crisis: Westminster promises to extend energy bills support to Northern Ireland

Energy bills for the average household will be frozen at no more than £2,500 and businesses will be spared crippling increases as Liz Truss took action to shield Britons from the global gas crisis.

The Prime Minister’s two-year plan paid for by tens of billions of pounds of borrowing will save the typical household around £1,000 from October and protect billpayers from further expected rises over the coming months.

But in a written statement today, Secretary of State for Business Jacob Rees-Mogg announced that the protections would be extended to Northern Ireland.

He said: “HM Government is acting to protect British households from the spiralling costs of energy. The Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which will give people certainty with their bills. The EPG will apply from 1 October and will discount the unit cost for gas and electricity use.

“This guarantee, which includes the temporary suspension of green levies, means that from the 1st October a typical household will pay no more than £2500 per year for each of the next two years. This will save the typical household £1000 a year. It comes in addition to the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme.

The scheme will start on the 1st October 2022, he said.

“The new guarantee will apply to households in Great Britain, with the same level of support made available to households in Northern Ireland.”

He added that Government will also support all business, charities and public sector organisations with their energy costs this winter, offering an equivalent guarantee for six months.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer will set out the expected costs as part of the fiscal statement later this month, he added.

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “The six-month cap on energy costs for businesses is a positive first step in providing support for our members and it is welcome that the Prime Minister has given a commitment that this will equally apply to Northern Ireland.”

“However, Government needs to go much further to provide additional support to small businesses struggling with this energy crisis. This should include Business Rates relief, VAT reductions and the reversal of the National Insurance hike”.

READ THE FULL GOVERNMENT STATEMENT HERE.