Households across Cavan and Monaghan are being left shocked by huge utility bills according to Fine Gael Election Candidate Heather Humphreys.

“The so called ‘big freeze’ may seem like a distant memory, but the harsh reality of the impact of the prolonged cold spell has been brought home to many families across the Cavan/Monaghan region as the recent bills came through the letterbox,” declared Cllr Humphreys.

Humphreys says that the plummeting temperatures over the Christmas/January period had meant many households kept the heating on longer than usual, unfortunately they were now paying the price and for many families the high bills couldn’t come at a worse time.

“People are already struggling to pay their gas and electricity bills. Over 14,000 people are out of work across counties Cavan and Monaghan and those lucky enough to still have in employment are seeing their pay cheques dented by the Universal Social Charge.”

“It’s one of the major issues coming up on the doorsteps, wages have come down considerably but the general cost of living remains very high. Oil, gas and electricity bills are the perfect example.”

Cllr Humphreys said that Fine Gael was committed to addressing this situation. She said that in Government, Fine Gael will target excessive energy prices.

“It is our aim to bring down electricity rates to the Eurozone average within three years. This will be achieved through driving efficiencies in energy companies. We will double funding for home energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes until the end of 2013. This will help homeowners to invest now, so they can enjoy cheaper costs in the long run”.

”This retro fitting will not just lead to lower utility bills, it will also create an additional 5,000 jobs and help to drive competitiveness within the wider economy,” said Humphreys.