People mainly find it difficult to pay their electricity and natural gas bills because they have used more electricity or gas than normal, for example, or because another unexpected exceptional situation, such as repairs to a car following an accident, prevents them from reasonably paying their bills. In these cases, local offices of the Health Service Executive may offer an exceptional needs payment, if appropriate.
Another reason is that customers may face more complicated problems with debts, in which case they need a longer-term solution.