Giving that they (Bord Gais) have a virtual monopoly (and hence buy massive amounts on the wholesale market) in their area their prices are still at least 1.35% higher than their only competition (small) and if the winter saver price is used, they are actualy 12.84% higher it is clear that there is potential in the market for further competition.
Now as the Bord Gais price is set by the CER they can't offer cheaper gas price, but they can offer cheaper electricity prices.
Similar the ESB can't charge cheaper electricity (because of the CER) but they could offer cheaper gas prices.
Knowing our goverment and their continuing attempt to keep a grib on the market (why else would Bord Gais make competition to ESB) I think that there is a danger that ESB is entering the gas market soon, promissing 10% discount.
And in the end they all will still make money because in the end it all comes out of the same pod (the goverments one).
I know I'm being pedantic here but this isn't the case. We've been told time and again by the ESB (and I assume the same holds for BG) that they are independent companies. They are members of IBEC and the ESB "had" to pay it's employees their recent pay increases for the partnership agreements as they were a profitable independent company. They do not have to pay the Pension Levy, ditto for BG.
There's a self serving agenda here. We're told the Regulator allowed excessive increases in electricity prices over the last few years in order to stimulate competition in the market. Arguably these increases and the current high price for energy in Ireland are one of the principle factors leading to so many companies leaving Ireland due to our high cost base.
Genuine competition arrives in form of Airtricity (a wind powered company) and that's ignored. And in the face of growing criticism about ESB prices/wage increases a (presumably) very expensive campaign is launched to shuffle customers from one semi state body to another to give the illusion of a competitive market.
I believe BG doesn't even have a electricity generating capacity at the moment with their plant coming on line next year.