Compare Electricity Prices Ireland

Comparing energy prices can be complex due to the sheer number of unit rates on offer from the 11 electricity providers available in Ireland. Essentially, the unit rate will depend on the tariff you choose, which is determined by the electricity meter you have and whether you are a rural or urban customer.

It is important to know how much electricity costs in Ireland. On a standard tariff, an average 3 bedroom house will typically pay around €1,700 with a standard meter. However, how much you will actually pay for electricity will depend on two things:

Because of substantial Government subsidies for energy bills over the past two years, 58% of households paid under €1,000 for electricity in 2023 (despite prices remaining high).

The best way to cut down on your electricity and gas expenses is by comparing energy deals and switching providers once a year. Doing so could result in annual savings of over €700.

Before you begin to compare plans, you must first know which plans you are eligible for as there are different tariffs available for smart meters and standard meters (which can both be 24 hour or time-of-use), as well as separate rates for urban and rural households. Comparing rates can be difficult, as there are many variables that can influence the outcome and determine which plan is cheapest for your unique circumstances. Our price comparison calculator will do this for you.

A smart electricity plan is any plan which uses a smart meter. A typical smart time-of-use tariff consists of 3 separate rates, but not all providers divide their smart unit rates according to these times. Smart plans can also have 24-hour set unit prices.

If you haven’t yet received your smart meter from ESB Networks, you will soon — as smart meters should be installed on every home in Ireland by 2025. The best way to find out which tariff would save you the most money is to fill out our free quiz – it only takes a minute (and it could save you hundreds of euro).

Standard plans can be more expensive for some households as unit rates remain constant during the day unlike time-of-use smart plans. This means that powering up your appliances at night for example won’t cost any less than during peak daytime hours.

For electric car owners, smart night boost plans can be a great way of saving money as they offer extremely low rates for 3 to 4 hours to charge overnight.

Electricity Plans can also be divided between those with fixed or variable electricity rates, which will significantly affect the price.

Fixed Rate plans mean that your electricity rates will not change for the duration of the contract. These fixed rates are lower than variable rates, but you will not benefit if rates are slashed during the period of the contract.

Variable rate plans will have higher rates when you sign up, but they may decrease over time as utility providers cut prices. However, rates may also increase as well as decline.

Our Electricity Comparison Calculator will give an estimate of what a user’s electricity bill is likely to be in the coming year and tell them how much they can save by switching.

The calculator allows users to select what type of region they live in, whether they are on a standard or smart plan, how they are billed, what their electricity plan is and when they entered into the contract.

Using this information the calculator provides an estimated annual bill for the coming year, and recommends plans which will save users money on their electricity bills.

Switching energy providers has never been easier, and has a number of benefits. Many homeowners are approached by salespeople. The reality is that many households are not availing of the best deal available to them, either because they think it is too much effort, or because they simply don’t know that they could be saving hundreds of euros on their bills.

Promotions
To entice households to switch to their company, many energy companies offer promotions and discounts for the first year to new customers.

Cost
The cost of switching is free – and you could save hundreds per year due to overall lower unit prices or switching to a plan that better fits your needs.

Services
The services offered by providers can differ, and customer service can be better once you have switched.

We recommend switching to the cheapest electricity provider every year. One-year offers are standard, and this gives you the best of all worlds in terms of promotions and first year unit rate discounts.

Average electricity costs are based on the average annual household electricity consumption of 4,200kWh and Electric Ireland’s 24 hour Standard Energysaver tariff.

Saving money on your electricity bills has never been easier – and we will guide you along every step of the way. Take our quick assessment today to find out how much you could save!