NightSaver Meter: What's the Cheapest Night Rate in Ireland?

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City background going from night to day and a clock in the middle

The cheapest night rate in Ireland is currently Flogas with an annual bill of €1,338.72. A NightSaver meter in Ireland can potentially bring significant savings on your energy bills. Read on to find out how they work so you can take advantage of night time electricity rates and save money.

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Is Electricity Cheaper at Night in Ireland?

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Knowing what offers are out there is one of the best ways of comparing electricity prices. If you have a NightSaver meter or a smart meter then, yes, you can obtain cheaper electricity at night. Before moving over to a NightSaver meter, you need to ensure you can change your usage habits a little in order to get a cheaper electricity bill.

In order to get the night time savings, 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.

What Counts as 27% with a NighSaver Meter?

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?

The reason you’ll need to shift at least 27% is that although NightSaver 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.

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. Have a look at our smart meter guide for its benefits in night time usage.

Although it’s free to make the move to a NightSaver 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.

What Are the Electric Ireland Night Rates?

Rates and prices for night time 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 NightSaver rates.

Let's take a quick look at the NightSaver unit rates for some of the larger energy suppliers in Ireland, such as Electric Ireland and Bord Gáis. We can quickly see some possible savings when just 35% of our electricity usage is shifted to night time electricity hours.

Nightsaver Prices in Ireland
SupplierBest OfferEstimated Annual BillTrustpilot Rating
Energia31% Selectra Discount 📞€1,191.464.1 / 5
Yuno EnergyFixed Discount Deal€1,309.973.5 / 5
Average-€1,338.15-
FlogasNo Discount€1,338.724.0 / 5
Bord Gáis15% Discount€1,384.501.7 / 5
SSE AirtricityFixed Offer€1,430.951.3 / 5
Electric Ireland5.5% Discount€1,603.501.3 / 5
Community PowerNo Discount€1,683.79N/A
WaterpowerNo Discount€1,701.77N/A
EcopowerNo Discount€1,867.733.9 / 5

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

As we can see, a NightSaver meter could save you some money depending on which provider you choose. You will also need to be quite disciplined about shifting the consumption of energy-guzzling appliances towards the cheaper-priced night time electricity hours. Appliance timers, smart plugs, and timer plugs could all help you do this, removing the hassle of yet another thing to remember.

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What Is a NightSaver Meter?

A lightning bolt in front of a NightSaver meter

In Ireland, a NightSaver 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 NightSaver meter tariff from any of the energy providers in Ireland.

A NightSaver 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 NightSaver 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.

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How Do I Get a NightSaver Meter?

To install a NightSaver meter, simply contact your supplier and request one. Your supplier will then register your request for a NightSaver 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 night-time. The NightSaver meter will then be able to record your daytime and nighttime electricity consumption separately, allowing you to save on your electricity bills.

Can I Get a NightSaver Meter for Gas?

NightSaver meters are not available for your gas supply, only for your electricity supply. If you use natural gas at home and your worried about the price of your gas going up, you should look into other methods such as insultation to help you maintain more heat in your home and boost its efficiency. You also get SEAI grants to help you out with the costs!

How Do You Read a NightSaver Meter?

How to read a NightSaver meter will first depend on whether you have a revolving disc meter or a digital meter. We look at both options below.

  1. Revolving Disc Meter
    These will come with a clear daytime meter reading above the nighttime reading. You can ignore the last digit in red. Sometimes, the meters will read the roman numbers I and II instead of day and night. The number I above would refer to daytime usage and number II for nighttime.
  2. Digital Meter
    To take a meter reading for a digital meter, you will have to press the blue button until the screen says 'day' and then repeat until the display shows 'night'. The numbers that follow each one is your meter reading. Like the revolving disc meter, you can ignore the last red digit.

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

What Are the NightSaver Meters Times in Ireland?

A stopwatch

We all have our definition of when 'nighttime' begins! Luckily for customers with a NightSaver meter, the cheaper electricity times are clearly set to:

  • 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.

Are NightSaver Meters Recommended for Storage Heaters?

Gas flame

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 NightSaver tariff. The accumulated thermal energy is then slowly released during the day as heat.

This makes a NightSaver meter and storage heaters a marriage made in heaven! If you have storage heaters, you should consider contracting a NightSaver tariff, or, vice versa, consider installing a storage heater if you have a NightSaver meter, and here is why:

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

In theory, a NightSaver meter 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:

Storage Heater Models

TypeProperties
Manual HeatersNo inbuilt thermostat so they will continue to heat a room even if an optimal temperature has been reached.
Automatic Storage HeatersWill turn off when the room temperature has reached a certain pre-set limit.
Automatic Combination HeatersCan also work as electric convection heaters. Meaning that, if all the heat stored in the ceramic bricks has been used up and you feel like you need an extra boost of heat, you can switch to the electric convection function to generate more.
Quantum Convection HeatersThe most expensive heaters but they are the cheapest to run. These heaters incorporate fans to circulate heat around rooms effectively.

If you’d like more information on storage heaters or to see how they compare with other methods for heating your house, check out our article on the best way to heat your home.

Are NightSaver Meters 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.

How Can I Plan Electricity Savings with My NightSaver Meter?

We already know that a NightSaver meter and tariff can save you money, as long as you’re careful about planning your electricity consumption so that you use more than a quarter of it during the tariff hours. But how can you plan ahead more accurately?

How Much Electricity Is Used During the Day on a NightSaver Meter?

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 NightSaver hours. So, how does 3 kWh translate to your normal usage exactly?

Energy Usage per Appliance

AppliancekWh
Tumble dryer4 kWh per load
Immersion cylinder4 kWh (40-minute heating cycle)
Washing machinebetween 2.3 to 6.3 kWh per load
Electric blanket1 kWh (average usage per night)
Power shower2 kWh (10-minute shower)
Electric shower1 kWh (10-minute shower)
Electric kettle0.25 kWh (5 minutes)
Dishwasher A++1 kWh per short (approx. 1 hour) cycle

Is Electricity Cheaper with a NightSaver Meter?

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If you can be organised and dedicated to change your electricity consumption habits, then a NightSaver meter could save you money. Obviously, the more electricity usage you can shift to those cheaper night time electricity hours, the better.

However, given the high cost of switching back to a 24hr meter, you would need to be really sure before requesting a NightSaver meter. While every little saving helps, there are also several options you should look at before considering this, which could save you considerably more cash, such as:

The services and products mentioned on this website may only represent a small selection of the options available to you. Selectra encourages you to carry out your own research and seek advice if necessary before making any decisions. We may receive commission from selected partner providers on sales of some products and/or services mentioned within this website. Our website is free to use, and the commission we receive does not affect our opinion or the information we provide.

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