What Is the Cheapest Night Rate Electricity in Ireland?

By David Tait

Editorial Manager

As of July 2024, the cheapest night rate electricity in Ireland is Bord Gáis with an annual estimated bill of €1,103.29. Night rate tariffs work by charging a lower cost per unit of electricity at night compared to the normal day rate. Night rate electricity tariffs in Ireland can potentially bring significant savings to your energy bills. Read on to find out how they work so you can take advantage of nighttime electricity rates.

How Much Is Night Rate Electricity?

Rates and prices for nighttime electricity vary quite a bit from one supplier to the next. This is why we strongly recommend you compare the market before selecting a supplier for your night rate electricity.

Let's have a quick look at the night rate electricity tariffs for some of the larger energy suppliers in Ireland.

🌙 Nightsaver Prices in Ireland

Supplier	Best Offer	Estimated Annual Bill
Contact Details	28% Discount	€1,117.56
Contact Details	Fixed Discount Deal	€1,169.83
Contact Details	30% Discount	€1,173.55
Contact Details	22% Discount	€1,189.65
Contact Details	Subscribe Now for 37% off Electricity (01) 913 1771 📞	€1,182.57
Contact Details	Fixed Offer	€1,211.84
Contact Details	25% Discount	€1,310.46
Contact Details	No Discount	€1,405.81
Contact Details	No Discount	Currently unable to switch new customers
Contact Details	No Discount	€1,800.19
Contact Details	No Discount	€1,893.09

*Prices include VAT, standing charges, levies, and provider discounts. All tariffs are based on Urban standing charges.
Last updated: July 2024.

Smart meter rates calculated according to latest rates published by suppliers with applied discounts. Calculations made by Selectra, actual supplier offers may vary.
Last Updated: June 2024

As we can see, a night rate electricity plans could save you some money depending on which provider you choose.

You will also need to be quite disciplined about using high energy consumption appliances at the cheaper priced nighttime electricity hours.

What Are the Night Rate Electricity Times?

The night rate electricity times are clearly defined as:

• From 11 pm to 8 am in winter (late October until late March)
• From 12 am to 9 am in summer (late March until late October)

The shift between summer and winter occurs the same day as the change of our clocks due to daylight savings time. Meaning that for your meter, it is the same hours that are cheaper year-round but, this way, your meter doesn’t have to be reset every time we change our clocks.

No matter the time of year, you have a total of nine hours to benefit from a cheaper electricity rate.

Is Night Rate Electricity Cheaper Than Smart Rate Electricity?

With the continued rollout of smart meters to homes in Ireland, more and more energy providers are now starting to offer smart electricity tariffs that offer some of the same benefits as night rate electricity tariffs.

Whereas a night electricity tariff offers two rates of electricity, the normal day rate and the cheaper night rate, a smart electricity tariff offers three rates, a day rate, a peak rate, and a night rate.

Therefore both options reward customers who are able to better manage their energy consumption, in particular those who can use more appliances at the cheaper night rates.

⚡ Standard vs Smart Price Plans

Provider	🕧 24hr	🌙 Nightsaver	💡 Smart Plan
	€1,334.21	€1,204.99	€1,344.42
	€1,249.76	€1,116.13	€1,491.30
	€1,244.34	€1,003.32	€1,353.99

Smart meter rates calculated according to latest rates published by suppliers with applied discounts. Calculations made by Selectra, actual supplier offers may vary.
Last Updated: June 2024

As you can see from the table above, the difference between providers night electricity prices and smart electricity prices is small as the savings you make come down to the effort of the individual to change their electricity consumption habits.

Before deciding between a night rate electricity plan and a smart electricity plan, remember if you choose the smart electricity plan, your smart meter will be activated, and you cannot switch back to a standard electricity plan.

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Why Is Night Rate Electricity Cheaper?

Energy companies have a surplus of electricity at night, so it’s in their best interest to make it easier and cheaper for customers to use it.

Having said this, in order to get the most out of night rate electricity, you'll need to shift over a quarter (around 27%) of your electricity usage to the night hours. Less than this amount and a NightSaver tariff will end up more expensive rather than less.

The reason you’ll need to shift at least 27% is that although night rate electricity meters are “free” to install, there is an additional fee added to your standing charge (around €45-€50).

As such, you won’t see any benefit from cheaper night rate electricity unless you push for more than 27% of electricity consumption at night.

If you're unsure about how much 27% is, there are a couple of tests you can do to see if the NightSaver will save you money:

• Can you run your dishwater, washing machine or other appliances at night?
• Can you have a shower before the NightSaver hours end?
• Can you charge appliances, gadgets etc at night?

Although it’s free to make the move to a night rate electricity meter, if you decide it’s not for you and decide to move back to a 24hr meter only, you will be charged a €200 fee.

The average Irish household uses up around 11.8 kWh (kilowatts per hour) of energy per day, so you’ll need to use at least 3 kWh of your daily usage during the cheaper night electricity. So, how does 3 kWh translate to your normal usage exactly?

Is Night Rate Electricity Recommended for Heating?

The single largest cost for Irish homes in terms of energy consumption is heating. Whether it be heating in general or heating water, the majority of the cost of your energy bill is going to come from this.

Switching to a night rate electricity tariff may help to lower the cost of heating as you take advantage of the cheaper night rate to heat your home and water.

Is Night Rate Electricity Recommnded for Storage Heaters?

A storage heater (also known as a heat bank) is an electric heater containing ceramic bricks. These bricks are used to store up thermal energy at night, when energy can be cheaper if you have a night electricity rate. The accumulated thermal energy is then slowly released during the day as heat.

If you have storage heaters, you should consider signing up to a night rate electricity plan, or, vice versa, consider installing a storage heater if you already have a night rate electricity plan.

The benefits of this combination are:

1. Storage heaters are very high consumers of energy.
2. Storage heaters are designed to work while you are sleeping at nighttime.
3. NightSaver times very much match when the ideal times' storage heaters should operate.

In theory, a night rate electricity plan will lower the overall cost of your energy bills if you heat your home with storage heaters. There are four different models of storage heaters available in Ireland:

Is Night Rate Electricity Recommended for Immersion Heaters?

Of course, it’s not just storage heaters that can reap the benefit of overnight heat storage. It’s also the ideal time to switch on the immersion heater and wake up to a bountiful and cheaper supply of hot water.

Make sure to set the immersion timer for the amount of time needed before NightSaver time ends, rather than all night, which would waste energy.

What Is a Night Rate Electricity Meter?

In Ireland, a night rate electricity meter is a type of meter that helps you track your electricity consumption during nighttime versus daytime.

Having one installed in your home allows you to obtain a night rate electricity tariff from any of the energy providers in Ireland.

A night rate tariff is a cheaper price of electricity for the nighttime usage. While the daytime unit rate on this tariff is slightly more expensive than a regular daytime rate.

This makes night rate electricity meters in Ireland ideal for:

1. Customers who heat their home with electrical storage heaters.
2. Customers who run their household appliances (dishwashers, washers, dryers, etc.) at night.
3. Customers who work night shifts and sleep during the daytime.

To install a night rate electricity meter, simply contact your supplier and request one. Your supplier will then register your request for a night rate electricity meter with ESB Networks, who will arrange to call by your house and install one for free. The only caveat is that you will usually pay a higher standing charge than a standard 24-hour meter.

ESB will need to install two different meters, so you can take advantage of cheaper electricity rates at nighttime, allowing you to save on your electricity bills.

You can always read more on the topic in our complete guide to meter readings.