People could save €2,000 per year by switching providers – Ahearn and Dolan

Families and individuals could save almost €2,000 per year by switching utility and service providers, two Fine Gael Senators have established.

Fine Gael Senators Garret Ahearn and Aisling Dolan found substantial savings can be made on a range of costs including electricity, phone, broadband, health and motor insurance, by taking some time to secure better offers from other providers.

Senator Ahearn, who has one child his with wife and lives in Tipperary, found he could save over €1,900 per year by switching his phone, internet and energy provider, in addition to motor insurer.

Senator Ahearn said: “High inflation has resulted in a rise in the cost of living for households, with one of the biggest drivers being fuel and energy costs.

“The Government has been doing all it can to mitigate these costs and ease the pressure on families and individuals with the introduction of a range of tax and social measures.

“It can often be difficult to find the time with work, family and other time pressures, but by conducting a simple search online I discovered potential savings of €1,915.93 could be made annually by switching providers and getting the same services or package.

“I found that I could save €30 per month (€360 per year) if I changed broadband provider. I could also save €180 per year on my office phone bill, and €456 per year if I changed TV provider.

“On car insurance, I could save €279.93 if I switched car insurance. And the most significant savings of €700 per year could be made on my energy bill.

“This amounts to a total saving of €1,915.93 per year, almost €2,000, which is a substantial sum. It can be time consuming to call up a utility provider or enter your details on a price comparison website, but as the result here demonstrates, it could be worth taking five or ten minutes out of your day to save thousands of euros per year.

Senator Dolan, who lives in rented accommodation in Galway, similarly found making the switch to other service providers will benefit her by roughly €800 this year.

“Working from home has become a way of life for most of us since the start of the pandemic. Most companies have a Virtual Private Network to access their own systems and that can use additional bandwidth, so quality broadband is in high demand.

“If you’re in a commercial zone you can have a choice of a number of providers, however the situation might be different for people in rural Ireland.

“Most providers give a 12-month discount for new customers; with one provider I could save €372 for broadband by paying €349.87 for a plan normally worth €721.87.

“On the Health Insurance Authority’s price comparison tool, I found I could save almost €200 per year for the same plan I currently have with a different health insurer.

“I currently pay €770 for car insurance for a comprehensive policy, but I could get the same policy for €200 less including a €40 bonus for buying online, with a different company.

“With a little effort and perseverance, you can make your money go further so I would encourage people to make the switch today as better deals and offers are a mouse-click away.”