Energy and Fuel Costs: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-29 ============================================================ Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel I welcome this motion and thank my Seanad colleagues, especially Mark Duffy, for working on this. Energy and fuel are not luxuries; they are actually essentials. When we talk about energy affordability, I want us to remember the people behind the figures. The two things I want to talk about are older people and those people going to work. Only last week, ALONE published its latest cost-of-living survey and the findings were really concerning. Three quarters of older people surveyed said they had been affected by the rising cost of living this year and 58% are struggling to pay their bills. However, the figure that stands out the most to me is that 45% of older people said they are going cold to save on energy costs. That means almost one in two older people surveyed are making a decision on whether they can afford to properly heat their home. No older person should have to sit in a cold room, put on another jumper or go to bed early because they are afraid to turn on the heat. Both my parents have now passed away, but for the nine years my dad was alive after my mam passed, he became obsessed with the gas and electricity bill coming in. He took great pride when he could get it down on previous months. I am using my dad as an example to show how so many people think about heat, weather and cost, particularly older people. I would not count myself as an older person, but even in my friend group we talk about good drying weather, which makes it sound very sad. I know it is quite funny but the reality is everybody is looking to save a few bob when it comes to energy. To ladies on the other side of the room, we have made great progress. The fuel allowance has increased to €38 a week, eligibility has been extended and there is significant investment going into retrofitting homes. A warmer, more efficient home can reduce a heating bill for years to come. That is why I strongly support accelerating retrofitting, which is what the carbon tax is used for, particularly for older people living in older, less energy-efficient homes. I want to highlight another side of this motion, that being, the cost of getting to work. For many people, particularly in rural Ireland, driving is not a choice. It is how they get to their job. It is estimated that 59% of people commuting to work drive a car and the percentage is 72% in rural areas. This is hugely important in my county of Meath. Meath has the longest average commute in the country. In fact, 19% of Meath commuters travel for more than an hour a day. That is about 17,000 people every day. We have also seen a massive increase in fuel prices. Some workers who travel 100 km every day reported that the increase was costing them an extra €20 a week just to get to work. For many workers, fuel is not a luxury or a lifestyle choice, but the price of getting to work. If people cannot afford to fill the tank, then they cannot get to the workplace. Even though we are at a good level in the economy in terms of work, with an increase of 26,000 in quarter 2 of this year in the number of jobs, it is a bit scary because the more that is in the car's tank, the less there is at home. This may impact the weekly grocery bill, the extra education you want to give your child, or your membership of the local Ladies Gaelic Football Association, LGFA, club. We know there are pensioners who are afraid to turn on the heating and there are workers who are afraid to look at the price at the pump. Both are telling us the same thing. The cost of essential energy is putting a real pressure on people's lives. We need to continue supporting those most exposed to these costs. We need to accelerate the retrofitting of older and inefficient homes. We also need to support rural communities and workers who have no realistic alternative to the car. We need to continue working towards an energy system that is more secure, more domestic and less exposed to international shocks. I am glad that Senator Kelleher has shown us that Ireland has been rated as No. 14 out of 27 in the EU when it comes to fuel. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-29/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-29