The north’s second largest electricity supplier SSE Airtricity has announced a 6.2% price increase for domestic customers.
The company has blamed sustained market volatility and higher wholesale costs for the hike in its standard variable household electricity rates from August 1.
It’s expected to add around £71.57 to the average annual household bill.
The latest figures from the Utility Regulator show SSE Airtricity had 144,429 customers in the first quarter of 2026, including 131,194 households.
Stephen Gallagher, managing director of SSE Airtricity, said: “We understand this is unwelcome news. Increasing our prices is never a decision we take lightly.
SSE Airtricity supply around 131,000 households in the north
“This is a result of sustained higher wholesale market costs that are outside of our control. We continue to do everything we can for our customers to limit the impact of ongoing volatility in the energy market.
“We are here to help and would urge any customers experiencing difficulty to contact us in confidence and we will work with them to find a solution together. We have payment plans, offers and tariffs in place to support customers.”
The move by SSE follows a 6.2% price increase by the north’s largest electricity supplier Power NI on Wednesday (July 1).
Power NI supply around 521,000 domestic properties in Northern Ireland.
A number of electricity suppliers have already announced price increases this year, including Share Energy’s first increase since it launched in 2024.
Share Energy had just over 41,000 customers in the first quarter ahead of Click Energy (38,870).
Click increased its tariff by 9.5% on April 1.
Budget Energy, which last increased its tariff in January, is the north’s third largest supplier with 122,770 customers.