Natural Gas & Electricity Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I think about switching?

Switching electricity supplier can save you money, it’s easy to do and it’s free.

Irish consumers are now free to choose their electricity supplier and the best deals can offer substantial savings. Since 2005 the Irish domestic electricity market has been open to competition, making better deals available to almost all households. Our electricity comparison tool takes the effort out of finding the cheapest supplier and will show you exactly how much you could save by switching.

What do I need?

To get an electricity savings quote takes just a few minutes. All you need is a recent electricity bill; but don’t worry if you don’t have one handy, we can still give you a savings quote if you know how much you spend per year or per bi-monthly bill. Once you choose a supplier and tariff that you're interested in, you will need to have your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) available to complete your switch - your MPRN is printed on your electricity bill.

What are the advantages to me?

Our electricity comparison service is fully comprehensive, independent and impartial. We show you all tariffs, suppliers and prices in one place so you can easily find the best deal. Our service is free, and best of all you could save 14% on your electricity bills

How do you keep your prices and listings up to date?

We monitor all electricity tariffs and suppliers on a continuous basis. We aim to provide you with fully comprehensive and accurate electricity pricing information at all times.

Help me estimate my consumption

If you don't have a bill to hand or you aren't sure how much you spend on electricity or how much you consume, don't worry, you can use the National Average household electricity consumption as determined by the Energy Regulator.

We can also help you estimate your annual household electricity consumption based on the size of your home. Use the chart below to select your home size and you'll see consumption averages which you can use for your comparison. These figures are a guide and you will only be billed for what you use.

* average consumption

Figures have been rounded are based on Electric Ireland's Standard Urban 24 tariff. Annual cost figures include VAT at 13.5% and PSO levy of €19.33.

Why do you need to know how much I spend on electricity?

To make sure we calculate your savings as accurately as possible and show you how much you could save by switching, we need to know how much electricity you use. We calculate your electricity consumption based on your spend with your current supplier.

If you're not sure how much you spend on electricity, you can compare using an average consumption figure. The ESB states that a typical Irish household uses 5,300 kW/h of electricity per year. At current regulated ESB unit rates for a standard urban household this will cost about €942 per year or about €157 per bi-monthly bill on average.

Why do you need to know how I pay my electricity bill?

Some gas and electricity deals are available only to customers that pay by direct debit. When you are selecting the tariff you are on with your current supplier, it is important that you let us know how you pay your bill so we can accurately calculate your savings.

What are the different payment methods available to me?

Direct debit
Paying by direct debit is more convenient and usually cheaper than paying by cash or cheque. When your supplier sends you a bill either in the post or electronically, a date will be included when you can expect payment to be deducted from your bank account. You are usually given notice of two weeks before payment is expected. Many of the cheapest electricity and gas tariffs are available to customers paying by direct debit only. To pay by direct debit, you must provide your supplier with your bank sort code and account number.

Standard cash cheque
Standard cash cheque tariffs allow you to pay you bill with a cheque, at a payment centre like a post office or in your bank. Standard cash cheque tariffs are usually more expensive than paying by direct debit. This is because the supplier saves on administration and in turn is able to pass on some of those savings to you. Many new tariffs are available only to customers prepared to pay by direct debit.

Pre-payment
New specialist suppliers like PrePayPower now offer digital pre-payment meters to customers who want them simply for the convenience of paying for electricity in advance. These meters are available to anyone who wish to have them installed. Traditional pre-payment card and token meters are only available to customers that have special or unusual circumstances. Traditional pre-payment meters need to be arranged directly with suppliers. We are unable to support comparisons for customers with traditional prepayment meters at this time.

What is a Nightsaver Meter?

A Night Saver meter is a special meter that has two dials. The first dial records the number of electricity units used during the day and the second records the number of units used at night. Customers on the Nightsaver tariff are charged a discounted rate for electricity used at night. We need to know if you have a Nightsaver meter in order to make sure we compare the correct tariffs and show you the most accurate savings.

Typically, the night rate hours are 11pm to 8am in the Winter and 12am to 9am in the Summer. Nightsaver customers pay a slightly higher standing charge and the daytime unit rates are slightly higher than standard electricity unit rates. For this reason, Nightsaver customers should ensure that 20 per cent or more of their overall electricity consumption occurs during the night rate hours to save over standard billing. ESB will generally install a Nightsaver meter for free, but will charge to change a household back to a standard single rate meter.

Why do you need to know if I'm a Bord Gáis Energy gas customer?

Bord Gáis Energy natural gas customers can receive an additional electricity discount of 2 per cent from Bord Gáis Energy. To make sure we calculate your savings as accurately as possible and take all savings into account, we need to know if you have a natural gas supply from Bord Gáis Energy.

How much electricity does an average household in Ireland use?

According to the Commission for Energy Regulation, a typical Irish household uses 5,300 kWh of electricity per year. At current ESB Electric Ireland Standard unit rates for an urban household, this will cost about €1,116.02 per year or about €186 per bi-monthly bill on average.

How does your service work and how do you make money?

We compare prices for all tariffs and suppliers in Ireland. You tell us how much you spend or use with your current supplier and we’ll show you how much you could save by switching. This is an impartial service and we list suppliers and tariffs according to price.

bonkers.ie has commercial deals in place with some suppliers across all our services which means we receive a small commission payment if you choose to switch or apply for a product with us. Our commercial relationships are in place to help make the switching process as convenient as possible for our customers. They also mean we can provide you with a free service. Our commercial relationships have no bearing on the ranking of suppliers in your results.

bonkers.ie is impartial and independent of all the providers and suppliers we list. We want you to get the best deal, so we list providers and deals by price and what’s important to you.

Gas FAQ

Why should I think about switching my gas supplier?

Switching your gas supplier can save you money, it’s easy to do and it’s free.

Irish consumers are now free to choose their gas and electricity suppliers and the best deals can offer substantial savings. Since 2005 the Irish domestic electricity market has been open to competition, making better deals available to almost all households. Our gas and electricity comparison tools take the effort out of finding the cheapest suppliers and will show you exactly how much you could save by switching.

What do I need?

To get a gas savings quote takes just a few minutes. All you need is a recent gas bill; but don’t worry if you don’t have one handy, we can still give you a savings quote if you have an idea how much you spend per year or per bi-monthly bill.

What if I don't know how much I spend on my gas?

According to Bord Gáis, the average Irish household uses 13,800 kW/h of gas per year. At current regulated Bord Gáis unit rates for a standard urban household this will cost about €727 per year or about €120 per bi-monthly bill on average. You can use this as a figure as a guide to estimate your consumption or your spend on gas.

Why do you need to know how much I spend on gas?

To make sure we calculate your savings as accurately as possible and show you how much you could save by switching, we need to have an idea how much gas you use. We calculate your gas consumption based on your spend with your current supplier. If you do not know how much you spend you can use national average consumption and spend figures as a guide. At current regulated Bord Gáis unit rates, a standard urban household will spend about €727 per year or about €120 per bi-monthly bill on average.

What are the advantages to me?

Our gas comparison service is fully comprehensive, independent and impartial. We show you all gas tariffs, suppliers and prices in one place so you can easily find the best deal. Our service is free, and best of all you could save up to 20% on the unit rate costs for your home gas supply. For average households, this could result in savings of up to €120 per year.

How do you keep your prices and listings up to date?

We monitor all gas tariffs and suppliers on a continuous basis. We aim to provide you with fully comprehensive and accurate electricity pricing information at all times.

How much gas does an average household in Ireland use?

According to the Commission for Energy Regulation, the average Irish household uses 13,800 kWh of gas per year. At current regulated Bord Gáis unit rates for an urban household this will cost about €876 per year or about €146 per bi-monthly bill on average.

Why do you need to know how I pay my gas bill?

Some gas and electricity deals are available only to customers that pay by direct debit. When you are selecting the tariff you are on with your current supplier, it is important that you let us know how you pay your bill so we can accurately calculate your savings.

What is a Large Residential User?

Customers that consume in excess of 73,000 kWh of gas per annum are classified as Large Residential Users and are charged differently than customers with usage below 73,000 kWh per annum. In addition to paying for standing charges and for gas consumed, Large Residential Users pay a Supply Point Capacity charge which is calculated by Bord Gáis Networks on an individual basis.

The Supply Point Capacity is the maximum amount of gas that a household is likely to use in one day, and is generally calculated based on historical gas usage.

Bord Gáis currently charges a €2.01 per kWh Supply Point Capacity charge. This means that if your Supply Point Capacity is calculated at 400 kWh, you may pay an SPC charge of €804 over the course of a year.

The purpose of the Supply Point Capacity charge is to ensure that enough gas is available for all customers by reserving space on gas pipelines.

How does your service work and how do you make money?

We compare prices for all gas tariffs and gas suppliers in Ireland. Suppliers currently offering gas include Bord Gáis, Flogas, Electric Ireland and Airtricity. You tell us how much you spend or use with your current gas supplier and we’ll show you how much you could save by switching. This is an impartial service and we list suppliers according to price.

bonkers.ie has commercial deals in place with some suppliers across all our services which means we receive a small commission payment if you choose to switch or apply for a product with us. Our commercial relationships are in place to help make the switching process as convenient as possible for our customers. They also mean we can provide you with a free service. Our commercial relationships have no bearing on the ranking of suppliers in your results.

bonkers.ie is impartial and independent of all the providers and suppliers we list. We want you to get the best deal, so we list providers and deals by price and what’s important to you.