Firmus energy has announced an 8.98% rise for 77,000 domestic and small business customers in the Ten Towns network area, effective from 1 October 20261. The Consumer Council reported the increase on 4 September 2026, and the Utility Regulator confirmed it following a review of the supplier's costs3.
The Utility Regulator said the regulated gas tariff in the Ten Towns area would increase by 9% after "detailed scrutiny of Firmus Energy Supply's costs"3. The Consumer Council gives the figure as 8.98% for domestic and small business customers in the Ten Towns gas network areas1. The BBC reports that a typical annual gas bill will rise by around £872.
The increase follows a 15.65% rise in Ten Towns tariffs in July 20261. In March 2026, the Consumer Council welcomed a 10.10% reduction in the same tariffs, effective from 1 April 20261.
The same announcement covered the Greater Belfast network, where Firmus energy tariffs rise by 12.5%1. The BBC reported that one household, a student sharing a flat, received a letter stating their Firmus energy bills would rise by 12.5%2.
The rise took effect alongside other Northern Ireland tariff changes. SSE Airtricity increased gas prices by almost 19% on Thursday for its 200,000 domestic and small business customers, adding almost £172 to the annual gas bill of a typical household in the greater Belfast and west gas network areas2. Share Energy raised its standard 24 hour electricity tariff by 12.6% from 1 October 2026, adding an extra £129 per year to the typical household bill of its 41,000 customers1.
"Following our detailed scrutiny of Firmus Energy Supply's costs, the regulated gas tariff in the Ten Towns area will increase by 9%."
"firmus energy has announced today an increase on their regulated gas tariffs of 8.98%, for domestic and small business customers in the Ten Towns gas network areas."
The BBC reported that Firmus energy said "unprecedented levels of volatility in global energy markets and higher wholesale gas prices" had led to the price rise, and that wholesale gas prices in the UK have effectively doubled since the US and Israel began their attack on Iran2. The Consumer Council's head of energy policy, Raymond Gormley, said the increase had been "driven by the continued volatility in wholesale energy costs, caused by geopolitics in the Middle East"2.
Why it matters for households
The Ten Towns network covers a defined set of towns outside the greater Belfast and west gas network areas, so the 8.98% figure applies to households and small businesses connected there rather than to all Northern Ireland gas customers1. For those customers, the change follows a 15.65% increase in July 2026, meaning two rises within a few months of each other1. The BBC puts the effect on a typical annual gas bill at around £872.
Gas is one of several costs moving at once. Electricity customers of Share Energy face a 12.6% rise from the same date, and SSE Airtricity gas customers face an increase of almost 19%1. Households across Northern Ireland are also receiving a one-off £63 reduction in electricity bills from this month, applied automatically without an application, funded by the UK government2. Pay-as-you-go customers receive £63 in credit when they top up, and the BBC notes they should not buy more than £112 of credit if they want the discount in one go, because meters take a maximum payment of £1752.
A separate means-tested scheme opened last month providing a £100 voucher to some heating oil users, jointly funded by Stormont and the UK government2. Two thirds of homes in Northern Ireland use home heating oil, and 500 litres currently costs around £560, more than twice the price of a year earlier2. Marie Curie has called for a "social tariff" for people with terminal illnesses2.
What happens next
The Firmus energy Ten Towns increase is effective from 1 October 20261. The Utility Regulator has commenced tariff reviews for regulated gas suppliers, and published an information paper on the Regulated Entitlement Values that take effect from 1 October 20263. The Consumer Council's Gormley said he suspects some other unregulated suppliers may follow suit and increase their tariffs2.
Sources3 cited
- The Consumer Rights Act 2015 | Consumer Council, consumercouncil.org.uk
- Cost of living: Energy price hikes in Northern Ireland add to mounting financial pressure - BBC News, bbc.co.uk
- News | Utility Regulator, uregni.gov.uk