Families face paying €400 more for their electricity and heating this winter. The soaring cost of energy will come as a huge shock to many as the nights draw in.
The crisis deepened yesterday when Energia announced its third rise for its 200,000 residential customers.
Rapidly rising costs have prompted calls on the Government to cut the taxes on electricity, gas and home-heating oil.
But the Government has no plans for new measures to ease the burden on families from rising energy prices, despite energy tax cuts and new subsidies being introduced in other European countries.