NI energy bills rise £172 as gas prices jump 19%

How families are coping with the NI energy bills rise

The rise adds about £172 to a typical household's annual bill in the greater Belfast and west gas network areas.

It piles fresh pressure onto budgets already squeezed by living costs, echoing a council tax hike of 'outrageous' 94% confirmed elsewhere in the UK this year.

Why energy bills are rising in Northern Ireland

SSE Airtricity said "unprecedented levels of volatility in global energy markets and higher wholesale gas prices" had driven the increase.

Wholesale gas prices across the UK have roughly doubled since the US and Israel's strikes on Iran, the company added.

Many households are now weighing up whether it's cheaper to leave the heater on low all day.

Lucy Kells, a mother of two from east Belfast, is currently on maternity leave. She said the coming months will be hard for parents with young children.

"Most people are going to have to have the heating on, especially if you've young kids in the house," she said.

"There's no escaping it, everything feels more expensive and it is more expensive," she added.

Despite "budgeting proactively," Kells said rising bills mean her finances feel increasingly out of her control.

Library staff are seeing the same pressure play out in person. Nuala Hyde, who manages Woodstock Library in east Belfast, said a growing number of visitors are coming in simply to keep warm.

Older residents in particular are now staying for free sessions and activities throughout the day, she said.