Compare electricity price plans for your home

It depends if you are still in contract. Some plans need you to sign up for 12 or 24 month contract. When your contract is over, you're free to switch to Bord Gáis Energy. However, if you leave before the end of the contract, you'll usually have to pay an early exit fee. Depending on the provider and plan, that fee could cost between €50 and €100

Usually, no. If your contract is over you can switch at any time. You can simply go to the compare plans page, select the plan of your choice, complete our simple sign up form, and we'll take care of everything from there.

No. Switching is a smooth and transparent process for customers, and there will be no disruption in your energy supply.

The process takes about 14 days. Once is completed, you’ll receive our Welcome Pack.

Unlike traditional meters, which simply record a running total of energy used, smart electricity meters can record frequent consumption data and provide automatic meter readings to ESB Networks.

ESB Networks started rolling out smart meters to homes across Ireland in 2019. Smart meters are being installed on a phased basis, which will complete by around 2025. There is no charge for the installation of a smart meter. You can find out more about the smart meter roll-out at esbnetworks.ie.

Smart meters are an upgrade from traditional meters, and have the potential to bring benefits to the consumer and the environment. Smart meters mean an end to inaccurate bills, as you'll only ever have to pay for your exact usage. Smart meters can provide customers with more information about their energy usage and enables electricity suppliers to provide a greater choice of plans and services, as well as improving sustainability. 

For more information on smart meters, see our Ultimate Guide to Smart Meters.

If you have a 24 hour meter, you’ll be charged the same unit rate, no matter what time of day it is. You can see your unit rate on your bill.

A scheme was approved by the government to credit all eligible residential electricity customers with €450, in three €150 (incl. VAT) instalments. This applies to both bill pay and prepay customers. 

As of 8 March 2024, we've applied all three credits to eligible customer's electricity accounts.

Customers with an online account will be able to see the credit in the 'Bills and Transactions' tab on their account dashboard. If you don’t have an online account, you can register here. Customers can also see the credit on their next bill after the credit has been applied.

Pay As You Go customers

When your credit is available, Bord Gáis Energy will send you an SMS. If we don't have your mobile number, we'll send you a letter. After you receive your SMS/letter, you'll then be required to top up your PAYG meter by a minimum of €10. Click here for more information on how to receive your credit.

Low usage accounts

Per government guidelines, a low usage electricity account is one which has not met the minimum consumption threshold of 150 kWh in each period of three months in the four consecutive periods of three months occurring in the period beginning on 1 July 2022 and ending on 30 June 2023. Low usage accounts are not eligible for the credit.

If you've a microgeneration account registered with ESB Networks for the payment period, you won't be on the low usage list and will therefore receive the credit.

Where the holder of a low usage electricity account meets one or more of the following criteria, they will be receive the credits:

• If you're a registered vulnerable customer
• if you're eligible to be registered as a vulnerable customer
• If you hold a hardship meter account.

Business customers and gas customers are also not eligible for the credit. For more information on the scheme and eligibility, see cru.ie.

This is a Time of Use tariff, which is a price plan for customers who already have a smart meter installed. This tariff is split into three different time bands:

Each time period has its own price for the electricity, which means you can choose to do more at the time that costs less. Your Smart meter data will be collected every two months, and you'll be billed every two months.

For more information on smart plans, see our Smart Plans page.

Microgeneration refers to small-scale generation of electricity by households or small businesses to meet their own needs, in addition to their existing electricity supply. If you sign up for microgeneration, you can sell your excess energy back to the grid. 

Microgeneration involves installing a small generator powered by a renewable source such as solar, wind or hydropower and connecting this to the electricity network. Microgeneration technologies in scope for the Clean Energy Guarantee (CEG) payment include Solar Photo-Voltaic (PV), Micro-Wind, Micro-Hydro and Renewable Micro-CHP (Combined Heat and Power). 

A customer who wishes to connect a microgenerator to the network must notify ESB Networks using an NC6 or equivalent form. The form and details are available on ESB Networks website. 

Once your application has been processed, ESBN will notify your supplier of your Maximum Export Capacity (MEC). Your MEC is the maximum output of electricity that your generator can produce. Microgeneration Installations up to 50kW can qualify for a microgen payment.

For more information on microgeneration and our rates, please visit our microgeneration page.

Please note: if your power is at powered off status you cannot use your microgenerator to export electricity. Microgenerators have protective devices which, for safety purposes, switch them off if the electricity supply is off or de-energised.