SSE Airtricity to increase gas prices by 19.2%

SSE Airtricity Gas has announced that it will increase gas prices by 19.2% from 1 October 2026.

The increase will affect almost 205,000 domestic gas customers across the Greater Belfast and West gas network areas and comes just six months after the supplier reduced its gas prices by 8.1%.

Unfortunately, the timing will be particularly difficult for households as we head towards the colder months, when gas use – and household heating bills – are at their highest.

What does the price decrease mean for customers?

The increase will add around £174 a year for a typical bill pay customer (credit meter). For a household using 12,000 kWh of gas a year, the typical annual bill will increase from £905 to £1,079 a year. Prepayment (keypad) customers will see their costs rise by around £172 to approximately £1,065 a year.

The increase follows a period when SSE Airtricity gas prices had been moving in the opposite direction.

Prices have fallen by almost 40% since April 2024. The latest increase effectively wipes out those more recent savings and takes the typical annual credit bill back to £1,079 – the same level it was back in April 2024.

Gas prices are still below the peak reached during the energy crisis, when the typical SSE Airtricity annual bill hit £1,594 in October 2022, but the latest increase is another reminder of just how quickly energy prices can move.

Why are gas prices increasing?

The main reason for the increase is the rise in the wholesale cost of gas.

The Utility Regulator says sustained increases in wholesale gas costs, linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, have pushed up the costs faced by suppliers.

SSE Airtricity’s gas tariff is regulated, which means the price is reviewed by the Utility Regulator. The latest increase follows a formal tariff review undertaken by the Utility Regulator and SSE Airtricity, in consultation with the Department for the Economy and the Consumer Council.

I’m a SSE Airtricity Gas customer…which network am I in?

 
SSE Airtricity is the regulated gas supplier across two network areas in Northern Ireland – the Greater Belfast Network and the West Network area.

The Greater Belfast area includes South, West, East and North Belfast, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey, Lisburn, Carryduff, Castlereagh, Ballygowan, Newtownards, Larne and North Down.

The West Network includes areas such as Enniskillen, Cookstown, Magherafelt, Omagh, Dungannon and Strabane.

If you are unsure who supplies your gas, your supplier will be shown on your gas bill or on your prepayment top-up receipt.