Search icon

News

04th Apr 2022

Eamon Ryan to propose shorter showers and less driving to curb energy costs

Dave Hanratty

Eamon Ryan shorter showers

New public advice on the cost of living is imminent.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan will argue for radical measures in a bid to tackle the ongoing rise in energy costs.

Recent weeks have seen notable price hike announcements from Ireland’s leading energy providers including Electric Ireland, SSE Airtricity, Energia, and Bord Gáis.

Speaking on Sunday, Minister Ryan said he will bring a package of measures designed to address the overall rising cost of living to Government in the coming days.

According to the Irish Times, those measures are expected to include a public awareness campaign, suggesting specific individual actions that people can take to bring down their costs.

Among those actions – taking shorter showers, cutting out one car journey a week and replacing that trip with walking or public transport, turning down your thermostat by a degree, and not filling a kettle all the way up.

It is understood that new financial measures are not a part of Ryan’s overall plan, which is expected to be fully detailed in May.

The Public Service Obligation levy will be removed from October.

Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 on Monday (4 April), Minister Ryan reiterated his stance that the Government “needs to do a lot more” to battle the current crisis.

“Some of those measures will take time,” he noted.

Minister Ryan spoke of the “need to focus on energy efficiency” and called on the public to play its part in helping others to save money.

Asked about the prospect of shorter showers and less driving, Ryan said there will be a “variety of measures” announced as part of the upcoming campaign.

“The scale of them will depend on the unfolding crisis [Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine] in the next few weeks,” he said.

Minister Ryan acknowledged that the Irish public is currently doing all it can to adapt to the rising cost of living.

Put to Ryan that the public needs immediate assistance, the Minister said he will look at further supports for more vulnerable households in the coming weeks as part of the initial measures.

Addressing the war in Ukraine, Minister Ryan said he believes that continued sanctions on Russia “can and will end this war”.

Featured Image of Eamon Ryan via Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Conor Sketches | Tiger Woods loves Ger Loughnane and cosplaying as Charles LeClerc