Who will you choose to keep you warm?

By Kate Ní Chléirigh

As the winter months are approaching – and we all remember last year’s big freeze – it seems energy companies are competing with lower prices.

Airtricity launched its campaign to attract new customers last month with legendary ex-manager of the Irish soccer team Jack Charlton. The “Biggest Save” campaign offers a 20 per cent saving on your gas rates and 6 per cent on your electricity rates for a limited time only.

The campaign was launched in September in the new Aviva stadium by Jack Charlton and the current Ireland Soccer manager, Giovanni Trapattoni.

The company’s efforts to crack the market comes in the wake of news that the ESB was cutting power to 30 homes a day because people could not afford to pay their bills. Bord Gáis also announced that it had cut off 230 homes in July, homes which will need to reconnect in the coming months as temperature declines.

The reconnection fees with the ESB is €100 while it is €70 with Bord Gáis.

Bord Gáis is also trying to lure customers away from the ESB with a campaign called “The Big Switch”. The initiative offers 10 to 14 per cent off your ESB bill. As many people rely on electricity to heat their homes during the winter months, this competitive pricing has been widely welcomed.