Switch to Ireland's Cheapest Night Rate Electricity Provider with Selectra Today!
Call our Selectra agents today for expert and trusted advice on switching electricity providers and make sure that you are getting the cheapest deal on electricity prices. Figures quoted do not include cashback offers and are available for direct debit payment.
38% Electricity Discount
Fixed Rate
32% Electricity Discount
Night rate tariffs work by charging a lower cost per unit of electricity at night compared to the normal day rate. As of December 2024, the cheapest night rate electricity in Ireland is Yuno Energy with an annual estimated bill of €1,175.98. Night rate times are typically from 12:00 AM to 9:00 AM during summer, and 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM during winter.
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:
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.
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.
The night rate electricity times are clearly defined as:
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.
As of December 2024, the cheapest night rate electricity in Ireland is Yuno Energy with an annual estimated bill of €1,175.98.
Rates and prices for nighttime electricity vary quite a bit from one supplier to the next.
Let's have a quick look at the night rate electricity tariffs for some of the larger energy suppliers in Ireland.
Supplier | Best Offer | Estimated Annual Bill |
|---|---|---|
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | Fixed Discount Deal | €1,175.98 |
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | 30% Discount | €1,181.58 |
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | 26% Discount | €1,184.09 |
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | 32% Discount | €1,188.96 |
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | 38% off Electricity | €1,210.79 |
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | Fixed Rate Offer | €1,215.94 |
.png){kind=logo} | 25% Discount | €1,352.62 |
.png){kind=logo} | No Discount | €1,448.06 |
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | No Discount | €1,842.44 |
.png){kind=logo} Contact Details | No Discount | €2,147.28 |
Call to Switch Energy Supplier Today! Click to Get a Free Callback! | ||
*Prices include VAT, standing charges, levies, and provider discounts. All tariffs are based on Urban standing charges.
Last updated: December 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.
Two Meter Readings When Switching Nightsaver Tariff
When switching from one nightsaver plan to another, it is necessary to have two meter readings, one for the day time consumption, and one for the night time consumption.
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.
| Provider | 🕧 24hr | 🌙 Nightsaver | 💡 Smart Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| €1,242.95 | €1,181.58 | €1,169.14 |
| €1,257.40 | €1,188.96 | €1,227.56 |
| €1,270.59 | €1,210.79 | €1,160.03 |
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: December 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.
Activating Your Smart Meter
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.
Yes, electricity is cheaper 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.
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:
Changing Your Mind About a Nightrate Meter
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?
| Appliance | kWh |
|---|---|
| Tumble dryer | 4 kWh per load |
| Immersion cylinder | 4 kWh (40-minute heating cycle) |
| Washing machine | between 2.3 to 6.3 kWh per load |
| Electric blanket | 1 kWh (average usage per night) |
| Power shower | 2 kWh (10-minute shower) |
| Electric shower | 1 kWh (10-minute shower) |
| Electric kettle | 0.25 kWh (5 minutes) |
| Dishwasher A++ | 1 kWh per short (approx. 1 hour) cycle |
Are There Night Rates for PAYG?
Providers who offer PAYG electricity tariffs also offer night rate tariffs, so even if you pay for electricity on credit, you can still avail of the cheaper night rates.
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.
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:
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:
More About Storage Heaters
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.
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.
Read More Of Our Meters Guide Articles
Where to find your GPRN number.
Where to find your MPRN number.
See how much the Carbon Tax and PSO Levy is adding to your energy bill.
Are Irish gas prices higher than those of our European neighbours?
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.
Click to Start Saving