What Are Average Gas and Electricity Bills in Ireland?

The average electricity bill in Ireland is €1,718.31 for 24hr urban meter. Discover the current average costs for electricity and gas in Ireland and see if you are one of the many Irish overpaying for their energy bills.

What Is the Average Electricity Bill in Ireland?

Unfortunately, there are no official statistics telling us what the average electricity bill in Ireland is. However, we can make a good estimate with what we know! The average electricity bill in Ireland is €1,718.31 for homes with a 24hr urban meter.

This works out to €143,19 for the average monthly electricity bill. We remind you that the quickest and most effective way to save money on gas and electricity bills is to compare energy offers and switch energy providers every 12 months. This can usually save you anything from over €300-500 a year.

Customers can also save money on their bills through collective switching, as well as through energy schemes, such as the Fuel Allowance and the Free Electricity Allowance.

What Is the Average Gas Bill in Ireland?

The average gas bill in Ireland works out at €1,472.26 per year, or €122,68 a month. Gas prices have been the main culprit behind the current inflation so with the rise in prices the average gas bill has also risen. As with our calculations for the average electricity bill, for the average gas bill, we can look at Bord Gáis’ standard rate and work it out from there. 

However, do bear in mind that bills will be much less during the warmer months, and much more costly during winter. Gas seems like it might be a reasonably priced solution for heating and hot water, but have you looked into other solutions such as heat pumps?

What Is the Average Electricity Usage in Ireland?

The Commission for Regulation of Utilitie (CRU) monitors and collects information from Irish electricity and gas providers. According to the CRU, the average annual usage of electricity for an Irish household is 4,200 kWh.

This works out to approximately 350 kWh per month. However, this amount can vary greatly from month to month. School holidays or situations where more people are at home than usual can increase this figure. For household trips or holidays, when fewer people are at home than is the norm, this figure can decrease.

What Is the Average Gas Usage in Ireland?

The CRU has placed the average gas consumption per household in Ireland at 11,000 kWh per annum. Why is gas consumption so much higher than electricity consumption, at 11,000 kWh compared to 4,200 kWh?

The reasons lie mainly in the way gas is used. Almost 64.7% of the energy used in EU households is used for home heating. As the main purpose of natural gas usage in Irish households is heating, meaning the amount of energy needed for heating will naturally be almost double the energy needed for other energy consumption purposes.

What Else Affects My Gas Usage?

Gas boilers are not as efficient as electric radiators, losing at least 10% of the energy consumed. For every kilowatt-hour of gas used up, only 90% of it will be converted to heat. In theory, usage of 11,000 kWh per year will result in an average of 946 kWh consumed per month. In reality, most gas consumption for any household will occur in the colder months.

Unlike with electricity, since gas is mainly used for heating, your home’s Building Energy Rating (BER), level of insulation, and air-tightness will also greatly affect your usage.

What's the Difference Between the EAB and Average Usage?

The EAB is the Estimated Annual Bill. The EAB is calculated by multiplying the standard rates or discounted rates of a supplier with the average annual usage amount of 4,200 or 11,000 kWh and adding on standing charges, VAT, and levies.

While using the average annual usage amounts is helpful by setting a level for all suppliers to be compared against, and also to help customers see which are the cheapest energy deals, it is not all that helpful for calculating the average annual bill for your household.

How Can I Understand My Electricity and Gas Consumption?

When electricity or gas usage increases, the cost per unit becomes cheaper as fixed charges like the standing charge and PSO levy are spread over a larger amount of consumption.

In contrast, when usage decreases, the cost per unit goes up, potentially triggering a low user standing charge. To understand your household's consumption, calculate the total kWh from your past twelve bills. This will help you budget for future bills and assess if your household's consumption is above or below average to help with cost of living.

How Does Ireland’s Energy Usage Compare to Other Countries?

Unfortunately, Ireland is a heavy energy user when compared to other EU countries. As per the Paris Agreement, we have been reducing both our carbon footprint and cut down on the financial impact on households. Ireland has also implemented a carbon tax to disincentive the use of fossil fuels and provide financing for offsetting CO2 emissions and investing in renewable technology.

Smart meters are just one part of the solution to us becoming more energy aware, and the construction of the Celtic Interconnector should also exert downward pressure on the price of energy in Ireland, leading to cheaper electricity.

How Does Ireland's Average Electricity Bill Compare?

Given the energy crisis throughout Europe and the rest of the world, the price of electricity is continuing to soar and it's getting more and more costly to pay our energy bills. The latest figures from Eurostat indicate that Ireland's electricity prices have increased by 42% since 2020 from €0.2616/kWh to €0.3718/kWh in late 2022 making Ireland's electricity the third highest across the EU:

Source: Eurostat
 

What About the Average Gas Bill in Ireland?

Again looking at Eurostat, the gas prices in Ireland are still relatively high though there are signs that the gas price is falling. At the moment, Ireland occupies the 5th place when it comes to gas prices, according to the Late 2022 statistics, at €0.0690/kWh. This has been an increase of 20%!

Source: Eurostat