Heating or Eating — Is This Ireland in 2026? Episode 672

With energy bills on the rise again and households feeling the squeeze, Niall opens the phone lines to hear from listeners on a burning issue: who should get help?

Recent statistics show energy costs continue to climb — thousands of households are now in arrears on electricity and gas bills, with people struggling to keep up as prices stay high after years of global volatility in oil and gas markets. Almost 320,000 people in Ireland were behind on energy bills last winter, and calls are growing for stronger action from Government.

On the petrol and diesel front, prices at the pump remain elevated across Europe, and Ireland is no exception. The average retail price in Ireland is around €1.82 per litre for petrol and about €1.72 per litre for diesel — among the higher levels in the EU.

So how much of that is tax?

The Irish Government levies substantial excise duty — about €0.71 per litre on petrol and €0.62 per litre on diesel.

There’s also 23% VAT added on top of the pump price.

Working backwards roughly, that means the pre-tax wholesale cost of a litre of petrol before excise and VAT is closer to ~€0.77–€0.78 before Government charges.

Against that backdrop, Minister Simon Harris says an increase in the weekly Fuel Allowance will help the roughly 300,000 struggling families currently in arrears on energy bills — but critics argue that this targeted support doesn’t go far enough.

Some callers believe that energy credits should be paid out universally — not just to low-income households — because middle-income families are also facing crippling bills and getting no Government help at all. Others counter that support should be carefully targeted to those most in need to make best use of limited public funds.

📞 Call in and share:

Should the Government expand universal energy credits for everyone?

Or is targeted help — like fuel allowance increases for unemployed and low-income families — the smarter solution?

What would you do if you were in charge of Budget policy?

Tune in for a lively discussion as we cut through the numbers and hear what real people think about energy prices, taxes, and fairness in tough economic times.