THE RISING COST of energy has dominated the headlines in recent months, with continued price hikes by electricity and gas suppliers continuing to hit people in the pocket.

In recent days, SSE Airtricity became the latest energy company to hike its prices, with gas bills set to rise by 39% and electricity bills to rise by 35.4%.

While the Government are likely to try ease the pressures placed on people, with an additional one-off energy credit set to be in September’s budget, further rises in energy are almost certain.

That much was admitted by Environment Minister Eamon Ryan earlier today, saying that further energy price increases are on the way.

“The one thing we know we can’t avoid is the price increases that are coming because of the war in Ukraine,” he told reporters this morning.

These increases will also likely come into effect this winter, when utilities usage is at its peak demand during the darker and colder nights.

While there are some safeguards in place to prevent people being cut off from gas and electricity, the increased costs are going to put even more pressure on a population already squeezed by a rising cost-of-living crisis.

With all this in mind, The Journal wants to hear from people who are facing difficulties dealing with the rising cost of energy.

Please contact us to share your story:

• If you are struggling to pay your bills due to the rising cost of energy currently
• If you’ve had to cut back on other spending to afford energy bills
• If you think you will struggle to light and heat your home this winter
• With your thoughts on some of the Government’s proposed measures to tackle the ongoing energy crisis – eg an additional €200 credit, windfall tax on energy companies

We’ll share readers’ experiences in an article to run this weekend. Please include your name, your age and the county you live in an email along with your story.

Please let us know if you wish to remain anonymous or use your first name only in the piece.

To share your story, please send 250-300 words to tadgh@thejournal.ie with the subject line ‘Energy costs’.