The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) said the measures were aimed at shielding consumers from the most severe impacts of elevated energy prices.
More than 300,000 households are in arrears on their electricity bills, a record high. In May, over 176,000 of these were in arrears on their electricity bills for more than 90 days.
The average amount owed is approaching €500 for people who have gone three months or more without paying their electricity provider, figures obtained by Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan of Sinn Féin show.
For the coming winter, the CRU said energy suppliers would be required to maintain minimum timelines for debt repayment plans.
This is in situation where households are in arrears and struggling to make payments on time for electricity or gas, or both.
The CRU said suppliers would continue be required to offer customers flexible payment plans, for a minimum of 18 months.
This is to encourage greater engagement by customers with suppliers.
CRU executives have also decided that discounted tariffs are to be made available to what it calls “financial hardship metered customers”. This is where those in arrears have a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) meter.
The regulator said: “Suppliers will be required to continue to automatically place financial hardship PAYG meter customers on the most economical tariff available.”
The debt repayment proportion of PAYG meter payments would increase from 10pc to 15pc, the CRU said.
The measures also mean suppliers are required to inform customers of how to register as vulnerable customers and the benefits of registering.
Vulnerable customers are given additional protections when it comes to disconnections.
CRU bosses said the disconnection moratorium for reasons of non-payment for special services registered vulnerable customers would remain in place from November 1 to March 31 next year.
Special services applies to customers who are of advanced age, or have physical, intellectual or mental health difficulties, or are visually impaired.
The moratorium for priority services registered customers will remain in place all year.
Priority services registered customers are individuals or households critically dependent on electricity or gas for life-support equipment, medical, or assistive devices, requiring additional support during service interruptions
The winter disconnection moratorium for all other domestic customers will be in place from December 8 next to January 16 next year.
In its statement, the CRU said that moratoria would provide customers with protection from disconnection.
But the CRU data has shown that longer moratoria, in addition to longer repayment periods, results in customers not engaging with their supplier and reducing their debt which does not benefit customers as debt levels then continue to increase.
It added that arrears levels are trending at historically high levels, both in terms of the value of arrears levels overall and the average value of a customer’s account in arrears.
But disconnection levels have remained comparatively low, compared to pre-Covid levels.
CRU director of customer policy and protection Karen Trant said: “This [extension of the protection measures] reflects rising domestic arrears, persistently high energy prices, and ongoing uncertainty around additional financial support from Government but also acknowledges that certain measures in place since 2022 can marginally be rolled back.”
She said NGOs (non-governmental agencies) were reporting more customers in distress, and it was essential that households were protected.
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