The Utility Regulator has concluded its review of the regulated gas tariff for SSE Airtricity Gas Supply. An announcement on Firmus Energy’s regulated gas tariff is expected next week.
Commenting on the tariff review, Leigh Greer, Head of Market Regulation at the Utility Regulator said:
“In February 2026, we began a formal review of the regulated tariff for domestic and small business gas customers of SSE Airtricity Gas Supply.
“Following our analysis, SSE Airtricity Gas Supply’s tariff will reduce by 8.1% or £80 per year, for domestic and small business customers in the Greater Belfast and West gas areas.
“The reduction to the regulated gas tariffs for SSE Airtricity Gas Supply has resulted from a fall in wholesale gas costs and an over-recovery that is being returned to customers.
“The table below shows the average annual bill comparison between the Power NI and SSE Airtricity Gas Supply with Great Britain and Ireland from 1 April 2026.”
Average annual bills from 1 April 2026 | Power NI (electricity) and SSE Airtricity (gas, Greater Belfast and West) | Great Britain | Ireland |
Electricity | £1,029 | £1,073 | £1,309 |
Gas | £905 | £859 | £1,415 |
Total | £1,934 | £1,932* | £2,724 |
Note: The GB price cap figures include the ‘£150 bill reduction’ announced in the Autumn Budget by the UK government*. Figures above are based on the annual bill of a domestic customer consuming 12,000 kWh of gas and 3,200 kWh of electricity on the standard tariff.
Leigh Greer continued:
“We will continue to monitor the regulated tariffs and will ensure any further falls in costs are passed through to customers at the earliest opportunity.
“While this is good news for consumers, we recognise that many households and businesses are still struggling. If you are worried about paying for your electricity or gas, help is available. We would encourage you to contact your supplier in the first instance, to make them aware of your circumstances, and discuss the options available. In addition, there are a number of agencies who can provide free and independent advice to households, including Advice NI, Christians Against Poverty, the Consumer Council and Money and Pensions Service’s MoneyHelper.”
This tariff announcement marks the conclusion of a review undertaken by the Utility Regulator and SSE Airtricity Gas Supply, in consultation with the Department for the Economy and the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland.
A briefing paper has been published.
Further information:
- Media contact: Adele Boyle on 07787 279584.
- *The ‘£150 bill reduction’ announced in the Autumn Budget by the UK government was a result of two policy costs being removed from the GB tariff structure. However, due to rises in other tariff elements, GB consumers won’t see the full £150 reduction.
- Over recovery explanation - wholesale gas costs make up a large component of a customer’s final tariff. When the tariff is set, forecast wholesale costs are used. However, as wholesale costs can be volatile, there is often a difference between the forecast costs and the actual cost paid for by a supplier. When the costs turnout to be lower than forecast (referred to as over-recovery), the regulated supplier will return the costs to customers in the following tariff period. Alternatively, should these costs turn out to be higher than forecast (referred to as under-recovery), the regulated supplier is able to recharge the under recovered difference to customers in the following tariff period. This ensures that customers only pay for the actual cost of gas.
- The exchange rate used for comparison with Ireland is 0.87 and VAT rate is 9%.
- The 8.10% decrease follows a 8.47% decrease in October 2025, a 22.8% decrease in April 2024 and a 12.2% decrease in July 2023.
- The Consumer Council’s website has energy advice for consumers and also provides an independent energy price comparison tool to help consumers save money.
- A number of agencies can provide free and independent advice, including Advice NI, Money and Pensions Service and Christians Against Poverty.