Vulnerable customer information
What is a vulnerable customer?
There are two types of vulnerable customers, a special services customer for gas/electricity and a priority customer for electricity.
We offer confidential special services and priority services to vulnerable residential customers who have special needs in relation to their energy supply.
A special services customer can qualify for our special services register if they are;
- Blind or Partially sighted
- Mobility Difficulties
- Deaf or hard of hearing
- Speech impaired
- Language Difficulty
- Learning Difficulty
- Mental Health issues
- Dexterity Difficulties
- Aged 66 or over and live alone, with minors or other elderly people
A priority customer is a person who is reliant on electrical home medical equipment, both life-supporting and non-life-supporting.
Frequently asked questions
Priority Services Register
If you’re a Bord Gáis Energy electricity customer and you or someone in your household is critically dependent on electricity for medical reasons, please register with us.
Click below for more information on eligibility and to register as a vulnerable customer.
Special Services Register
This register has been set up to help protect our gas and electricity customers who may be particularly vulnerable to disconnection during the winter months for reasons of advanced age, physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental health.
We also offer alternative forms of communication for our hearing-impaired customers such as social media, website query forms and web chat. For our visually impaired customers we offer a braille or talking bill service.
If you or someone you care for need any of these services, please let us know by registering below.
Special Services RegisterNominate someone to manage your account
If it’d be helpful, you can nominate a carer or other third party to deal with your account on your behalf. You can do this on both the Priority Services and Special Services registration forms.
Concerns about paying your bill?
We appreciate that these are difficult and uncertain times. If you're worried about paying your bill, please get in touch with us straight away. We’ve a range of flexible options, such as:
- Moving to Level Pay (spread your payments evenly over 12 months)
- Setting up scheduled payments (a recurring payment on a weekly or monthly basis, in addition to your existing payment method)
- Installing a Pay As You Go meter
- Setting up a payment plan
We offer a Special Services Register for gas and electricity customers who are particularly vulnerable to disconnection during the winter months, such as customers who have a disability, or those who are over 66 and living alone. If you wish to register for special services, please fill out our online form.
We also offer a Priority Services Register for electricity customers who are critically dependent on electrically-powered equipment, which may include life-protecting devices, assistive technologies, to support independent living and medical equipment. If you wish to register for priority services, please fill out our online form.
Contact us for more information on the above options.
Customers can also contact the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), who provide information and assist customers with putting budget plans in place. MABS is a national, free, independent, confidential, and non-judgemental service for people in debt or at risk of getting into debt and it is funded by the Department of Social Protection. Click here to view their website for further information.
If you receive Social Welfare payments, you can spread the cost of your energy bills by paying regular amounts towards your bills. The money is then deducted from your weekly Social Welfare payment. You can avail of this through An Post’s Household Budget scheme. Click here for more information.
Certain social welfare and state pension recipients may also be entitled to the government's Fuel Allowance. A Fuel Allowance is a means-tested payment to help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months. You can get the Fuel Allowance if you're getting a long-term social welfare payment and are unable to provide for your heating needs from your own resources. The Fuel Allowance season normally begins in late September of each year and ends in April. See gov.ie for more information.
Vulnerable Customer Codes of Practice
Our Codes of Practice for vulnerable customers set out the way we carry out our business and the standards of service you can expect from us.
Energy Support Fund
We’ve a range of supports and services available for customers who need it. Over the years, we've worked closely with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) who already provide a range of options that can help.
Following engagement with both partners, Bord Gáis Energy established a €1.25 million energy support fund in April to assist customers struggling to meet their payments. In addition, we’re now committing 10% of operational profits to the fund during the energy crisis. We’re also now working with Focus Ireland to widen access to the fund, so that we can help as many customers as possible.
The fund provides targeted help to those customers who need it most. Through their normal assessment channels, St. Vincent de Paul, MABS and Focus Ireland will determine the appropriate supports for customers, including whether a customer is eligible for access to this fund, and they will help customers access this fund to pay their bills.
This fund is in addition to a range of services and supports that are in place e.g. payment plans, Pay As You Go meters, Level Pay, and more.
If you've concerns about paying your energy bill, click here for more information, or take a look at our Helpful Energy Hub.
Our Customer Charter
Our Customer Charter underpins each of our Codes of Practice and sets out nine guaranteed standards.