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Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath has slammed Electric Ireland after a pensioner in his 80s, “recently widowed and in poor health”, received what the Independent TD says is “an aggressive and intimidating arrears letter warning of possible cancellation of his payment plan and implied disconnection, despite owing only €16, an amount that has since been fully cleared”.
Deputy McGrath told Gript today that it was “beyond disgraceful that an elderly man, a vulnerable person was treated like this,” adding that “it is indicative of a culture that has been allowed to take root in the country which is indifferent to the burdens and distresses being placed on ordinary people”.
“What has the country come to when we have the government parading around telling everyone we’ve never had it so good, while a man in his 80s is being treated aggressively by a state-owned utility,” he said.
Electric Ireland is the retail supply and consumer brand of the Electricity Supply Board. Electric Ireland increased residential electricity prices by 8% and gas prices by 7.7%, effective July 1, 2026 – adding approximately €138 to the average annual electricity bill and €117 to the average gas bill
The Independent TD told Tipperary Live that the pensioner, who is a constituent, lost his wife last year. Since that time, the elderly man has struggling under the weight of funeral costs and additional unexpected cost of living expenses, the TD said. His electricity payments fell into approximately €800 in arrears.
However, the man’s daughter, who is also his full‑time carer, had contacted providers, Electric Ireland, and explained the situation. She and the company had agreed a €75 per week payment plan to clear the arrears. However, the pensioner, anxious to clear the debt was paying €80 per week to clear the amount owed.
Despite this, Deputy McGrath said, Electric Ireland issued a letter on July 9 that the Independent TD described as “deeply distressing, wholly disproportionate, and utterly devoid of compassion”.
“The tone of the letter that I have personally seen was aggressive, intimidating and completely unacceptable for a state‑owned utility dealing with a vulnerable elderly customer,” he said – adding that the warning letter caused significant fear and upset to the man, who believed he might lose his gas supply.
“My office is seeing cases like this on a far too frequent basis. This is not how we treat vulnerable pensioners, or anyone else for that matter. This man has done everything asked of him. He has engaged fully, paid more than the agreed amount, and cleared the minor arrears immediately.
“Yet Electric Ireland sent him a letter that reads like a threat. It is disgraceful,” he told Tipperary Live.
“At a time when ESB is reporting enormous profits, their retail arm is issuing fear‑inducing letters to elderly widowers over a paltry €16. It is beyond comprehension,” he said.
Deputy McGrath said he will be raising the matter directly with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Alan Dillon.
“These huge companies must stick to the protections designed to safeguard vulnerable customers,” he told Gript. “They are making millions in profit every year while Irish people are struggling and paying through the nose.”
Electric Ireland’s parent company, the ESB Group, reported an after-tax profit of €636 million for the 2025 financial year.
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