Share Energy has increased its standard 24 hour electricity tariff by 12.6%, effective from 1 October 2026, the Consumer Council announced on 9 September 20261. The rise adds an extra £129 per year to the typical household bill of the supplier's 41,000 customers2.
The increase took effect on the same day as a rise from firmus energy, which announced an 8.98% increase on its regulated gas tariffs for domestic and small business customers in the Ten Towns gas network areas, also effective from 1 October 20261. That rise covers 77,000 domestic and small business customers and means a typical annual gas bill will rise by around £872. It follows an increase of 15.65% in July 20262.
SSE Airtricity, described as Northern Ireland's largest provider of natural gas, increased its prices by almost 19% on Thursday 1 October for its 200,000 domestic and small business customers2. The annual gas bill of a typical household in the greater Belfast and west gas network areas will increase by almost £1722. The company said "unprecedented levels of volatility in global energy markets and higher wholesale gas prices" had led to the price rise2.
Raymond Gormley, Head of Energy Policy at the Consumer Council, said:
"This increase has been driven by the continued volatility in wholesale energy costs, caused by geopolitics in the Middle East."
The Consumer Council has also recorded other tariff changes in Northern Ireland during 20261:
| Supplier | Change | Effective from |
|---|---|---|
| Power NI | 6.2% increase (residential) | 1 July 2026 |
| firmus energy (Ten Towns) | 15.65% increase | 1 July 2026 |
| SSE Airtricity | 6.2% increase (electricity) | 1 August 2026 |
| Budget Energy | 9.5% increase (variable electricity) | 4 August 2026 |
| SSE Airtricity | 19.2% increase (gas) | 1 October 2026 |
| firmus energy (Ten Towns) | 8.98% increase | 1 October 2026 |
| Share Energy | 12.6% increase | 1 October 2026 |
Earlier in the year, Click Energy raised its electricity tariff by 9.5% and Share Energy by 26.4%, both effective from 1 April 2026, while firmus energy cut its regulated gas tariffs in the Ten Towns network by 10.10% from the same date1.
Why it matters for households
The Share Energy rise is the latest in a sequence of increases across Northern Ireland's electricity and gas markets, and it lands at the start of the heating season. For a household on the standard 24 hour tariff, the change is worth £129 a year on a typical bill2. Gas customers face separate increases: around £87 a year in the Ten Towns network and almost £172 a year in the greater Belfast and west network areas2.
Northern Ireland's dependence on home heating oil shapes the picture further. Two thirds of homes use it, and Consumer Council data cited by BBC News suggests 500 litres currently costs around £560, more than twice the price of a year earlier2. The Consumer Council has welcomed the Competition and Markets Authority's Heating Oil Market Study, commissioned after the sharp rise in heating oil prices following the conflict in the Middle East1.
Against those costs, a one-off £63 reduction in electricity bills applies across Northern Ireland from October 2026, applied automatically without an application2. It is the local outworking of two schemes that apply in Great Britain, funded by the UK government2. Bank payment customers have their bills reduced automatically, while pay-as-you-go customers receive £63 in credit when they top up their meter; those wanting the discount in one go should not buy more than £112 of credit, because meters take a maximum payment of £1752. A separate means-tested scheme opened applications last month for a £100 voucher for some heating oil users, jointly funded by Stormont and the UK government2.
What happens next
Raymond Gormley of the Consumer Council said he suspects some other unregulated suppliers may follow suit and increase their tariffs2. No further supplier announcements have been reported.