First Electricity Price Hikes Announced Since Iran War Began

Inside this Edition:

• First Electricity Price Hikes of the Summer

• Electric Car Sales Up by 110% in April

• How Long Do Solar Panels Last For on Your Roof?

P.S. Thinking about solar panels? Click here to compare local installer prices now »

First Electricity Price Hikes Announced, More Expected to Follow

The first round of electricity price increases have been announced as the effect of spiralling gas prices have begun to take effect.

Prepay Power was the first of the major electricity suppliers to announce that it’s prices will be increasing by 8.8% from June 1. Prepay Power have an estimated 180,000 customers in Ireland.

That’s just for electricity. People who get gas from Prepay Power will be paying 10.6% more.

This is expected to add an extra €3.23 per week to the electricity bill and €3.28 for gas.

While Prepay Power were the first, it’s expected that other company’s will not be far behind them in announcing rate hikes of their own.

Electricity suppliers have typically bought some or all of the power they provide several months in advance at an agreed on price.

But this ‘hedging’ won’t last forever. As times goes on the spike in gas prices which began in late February will have a larger and larger impact.

If the current state of affairs continues, it’s very possible that this will only be the first round of price hikes.

More and more people are protecting themselves against rising electricity costs with home solar panels to generate their own power for free.

Electric Car Sales Up by 110% in April

There has already been strong growth of electric cars sales in 2026, but nothing like the 110% spike seen in April.

Figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show that 2,779 new electric cars were registered last month.

Full battery electric vehicles also continued to expand their lead over petrol and diesel in market share, now accounting for 22.35% of all new cars.

How Long Do Solar Panels Last For on Your Roof?

What is the lifespan of solar panels? That’s an important question to ask when investing in solar power for your home.

Solar panels cost a lot of money for homeowners, with the understanding that they will recoup their investment many times over in the lifespan of your solar panels.

So before you buy you should know how long solar panels are expected to last for, what happens as they get older, and what sort of warranty protection you should look for.

We hope you enjoyed the articles this week. Together with your support, we are helping to build a greener, more affordable Ireland for everyone. That’s your energy update. Until the next edition.

Briain Kelly,

Editor, EnergyEfficiency.ie