Questions need to be asked as to why net electricity prices are so high in Ireland.
That's according to Darragh Cassidy from price comparison website Bonkers.ie.
He was speaking as it was revealed Irish households are paying around €250 more for electricity a year than our European neighbours.
New Eurostat figures show electricity prices here were fourth highest in the European Union.
Only Denmark, Germany and Belgium were more expensive.
While the Netherlands, Malta, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary are paying the least for their electricity in the bloc.
The figures were compiled in April 2021, and so do not reflect the latest energy crisis owing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Source: EurostatThe price of energy depends on a range of different conditions - including the geopolitical situation, the national energy mix, import diversification, network costs and levels of excise and taxation.
Although taxes and Government levies are regularly criticised here, they are not the reason Irish consumers are paying more.
Darragh told Pat Kenny net prices are 60% above the EU average.
"When you actually look at the net price of electricity across all countries in Europe... we are vastly, vastly more expensive than anyone else in the entire EU - and even the entire European region.
"Prices here are actually 60% above average when you just look at the net price - so that's before the governments add on taxes and charges.
"So it does suggest the Irish electricity market is very, very inefficient that prices here are so wildly out of average."
Darragh says our geography is one of the factors for higher costs.
"We're an island - it means, unfortunately, that there's an added cost in getting things here.
"We don't have a huge indigenous supply of fuel - having said that, we do have our own gasfields.
"It is dwindling, but we still do have one - and then we have quite a dispersed population as well.
"So there's a lot of one-off homes in Ireland as we know.
"So that means that when you're building out the pylons, pipes, wires and so on for the gas and electricity network there's just an added cost in getting it to people's homes".
And he believes an investigation is needed to find out why the disparity is so large.
"I think there are questions there - we are significantly above the average.
"We're above the average when you look at the price when you include VAT, but when you exclude VAT and look at that net price we're just way above kilter.
"Our mix though needs to be taken into account - so we don't use nuclear in Ireland, for example.
"But in countries that do use nuclear, such as France and also Sweden, their electricity prices tend to be below ours.
"There's a variety of reasons - and you do just have to wonder whether a little bit more of an investigation should be done into it, because it does just seem to be inefficiencies there.
"And it's the consumer that pays".
