Department questioned decision to stop using households to subsidise big businesses

The Department of Enterprise admonished the state’s energy regulator for not consulting with businesses before it scrapped a government policy that meant households had subsidised big companies’ energy bills for 12 years.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) last October reversed a government decision from 2010 that meant domestic customers were charged extra money on their energy bills to help businesses with their bills.

The measure was introduced as a “ministerial direction” in 2010 ...