Night rate electricity offers cheaper power during off-peak hours—typically 11pm to 8am. But is it worth changing your habits to benefit? This guide explains how night rate works, who saves the most, and whether it makes sense for your household.
What Is Night Rate Electricity?
Night rate electricity (sometimes called Nightsaver or Economy 7) provides two different unit rates:
Night rate: A cheaper rate during off-peak hours (typically 11pm to 8am)
Day rate: A standard or slightly higher rate during peak hours (typically 8am to 11pm)
The idea is simple: electricity demand is lower at night, so it costs less to generate and distribute. Suppliers pass these savings to customers who can shift their usage to nighttime hours.
Night Rate Hours
Standard night rate hours in Ireland are:
| Period | Hours | Rate Type |
|---|---|---|
| Night | 11:00pm - 8:00am | Cheaper |
| Day | 8:00am - 11:00pm | Standard |
These times are clock times, meaning they shift with daylight saving. During summer time, the meter considers 12:00am-9:00am as night hours.
Some smart meter tariffs offer more complex time-of-use structures with three periods:
| Period | Hours | Rate Type |
|---|---|---|
| Night | 11:00pm - 8:00am | Cheapest |
| Day | 8:00am - 5:00pm and 7:00pm - 11:00pm | Standard |
| Peak | 5:00pm - 7:00pm | Most expensive |
Check your specific tariff for exact times, as they vary between suppliers.
Current Night Rate Prices
Here's how day and night rates typically compare (as of January 2026):
| Supplier | Night Rate | Day Rate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Ireland | ~20c/kWh | ~34c/kWh | 41% saving |
| Bord Gáis Energy | ~19c/kWh | ~32c/kWh | 41% saving |
| SSE Airtricity | ~18c/kWh | ~31c/kWh | 42% saving |
| Energia | ~21c/kWh | ~33c/kWh | 36% saving |
Rates are approximate and vary by plan. Check current rates with each supplier.
Night rates are typically 35-45% cheaper than day rates. However, day rates on time-of-use tariffs may be slightly higher than 24-hour flat rates.
Do You Need a Special Meter?
To access night rate electricity, you need either:
Day/Night meter: An older-style meter with two registers—one for day usage, one for night usage
Smart meter: Modern digital meters that record usage in 30-minute intervals, enabling time-of-use billing
If you have a standard 24-hour meter, you cannot access night rates. You'd need ESB Networks to install a day/night or smart meter. Smart meter installations are currently free as part of the national rollout.
Who Benefits Most from Night Rate?
Night rate electricity offers the biggest savings for households that can shift significant usage to nighttime hours.
Ideal Candidates
Electric vehicle owners: Charging an EV overnight is the perfect use case. A full charge might use 30-60 kWh—saving €6-€15 per charge on night rate versus day rate.
Storage heater users: Storage heaters are designed to charge overnight and release heat during the day. Night rate is essential for cost-effective storage heating.
Households with electric water heating: Running your immersion overnight rather than during the day can save significantly.
Night shift workers: If you're home during the day and use appliances then, night rate isn't helpful. But if you're awake at night anyway, you can naturally use power during cheaper hours.
People with flexible schedules: Working from home with flexibility to run dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers overnight.
Less Suitable For
Families with young children: Kids need baths, cooked meals, and entertainment during peak hours. Shifting usage to nighttime isn't practical.
Daytime-heavy households: If most of your usage occurs during the day (home offices, daytime cooking, daytime TV/computing), night rate provides limited benefit.
Small users: If your overall electricity usage is low, the savings from night rate may not outweigh any potential increase in day rates.
Calculating Whether Night Rate Is Worth It
To benefit from night rate, you need to shift enough usage to night hours to offset any higher day rates.
The Break-Even Point
Typically, you need to use at least 30-40% of your electricity during night hours to break even or save money on a day/night tariff.
Here's a simplified example:
Scenario: 4,200 kWh annual usage
| Tariff Type | Day Usage | Night Usage | Day Cost | Night Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24-hour flat (32c) | 4,200 kWh | - | €1,344 | - | €1,344 |
| Day/Night (35c/19c) - 30% night | 2,940 kWh | 1,260 kWh | €1,029 | €239 | €1,268 |
| Day/Night (35c/19c) - 50% night | 2,100 kWh | 2,100 kWh | €735 | €399 | €1,134 |
This example excludes standing charges, which are similar across tariff types.
With 30% night usage, you save about €76/year. With 50% night usage, savings jump to €210/year.
What Counts as Night Usage?
Consider which appliances you could realistically use overnight:
| Appliance | Typical kWh | Easy to Shift? |
|---|---|---|
| EV charger | 30-60 per charge | ✅ Yes - set timer |
| Storage heaters | 10-20 per night | ✅ Yes - designed for this |
| Immersion heater | 3-5 per hour | ✅ Yes - use timer |
| Dishwasher | 1-2 per cycle | ✅ Yes - delay start |
| Washing machine | 1-2 per cycle | ✅ Yes - delay start |
| Tumble dryer | 2-4 per cycle | ⚠️ Maybe - noise concerns |
| Cooking | 1-3 per meal | ❌ No - not practical |
| Lighting | 0.1-0.5 per hour | ❌ No - used when needed |
| TV/Computer | 0.1-0.3 per hour | ❌ No - used when needed |
Smart Meter Night Rates vs Traditional Day/Night
Smart meters enable more sophisticated time-of-use tariffs than traditional day/night meters.
Traditional Day/Night Meter
- Fixed day and night periods
- Two readings (day register, night register)
- Simple pricing structure
Smart Meter Time-of-Use
- May include peak pricing (5pm-7pm)
- 30-minute usage data
- Potentially three or more rate periods
- More detailed billing
Smart meter tariffs often have lower night rates but may also have higher peak rates. If you use a lot of electricity during the 5pm-7pm peak period, smart tariffs could cost more than traditional day/night.
How to Switch to Night Rate
If You Have a Smart Meter
Simply contact your supplier or switch to a new supplier offering a smart meter tariff. Your existing smart meter can support time-of-use billing immediately.
If You Have a 24-Hour Meter
You have two options:
-
Request a smart meter: Apply through ESB Networks. Installation is free and typically takes a few weeks to schedule.
-
Request a day/night meter: ESB Networks can install one, though smart meters are now the standard.
Once you have the appropriate meter, you can choose any day/night or smart tariff from any supplier.
Maximising Night Rate Savings
If you're on a night rate tariff, here's how to maximise benefits:
Use timers: Set appliances with delay-start functions to run after 11pm.
Charge devices overnight: Phones, laptops, tablets, and especially EVs.
Shift water heating: Set your immersion to run in the early morning rather than evening.
Consider storage heaters: If you're replacing heating, storage heaters are designed for night rate tariffs.
Batch cooking: Where practical, consider cooking in batches during cheaper periods.
Laundry timing: Run washing machines and dishwashers overnight (check noise levels first).
Common Questions About Night Rate
Will my meter automatically switch to night rate?
No. Even if you have a day/night meter, you must be on a day/night tariff with your supplier. Check your bill to confirm which tariff you're on.
What if I forget to use appliances at night?
Night rate saves money on usage during night hours. Daytime usage still works normally—you just pay the higher day rate. Nothing breaks if you use electricity during the day.
Can I have different night rate hours?
No. The meter infrastructure defines when night hours apply (11pm-8am). Individual customers cannot adjust this. Some smart tariffs have different peak/off-peak structures, but you'd need to check specific offerings.
Are night rates going away?
No. Time-of-use pricing is actually expanding with smart meters. However, the specific rate structures are evolving, with more suppliers offering three-rate (night/day/peak) tariffs rather than simple two-rate options.
Do I need a day/night meter for storage heaters?
Strictly speaking, no—storage heaters work on any meter. But without night rate pricing, they're very expensive to run. A night rate tariff is essential for cost-effective storage heating.
Summary
Night rate electricity can save you money if you can shift at least 30-40% of your usage to the 11pm-8am period. It's particularly valuable for EV charging, storage heating, and electric water heating.
However, if your lifestyle means most electricity use occurs during the day, a 24-hour flat rate may be simpler and potentially cheaper.
To find out whether night rate makes sense for you, check your current usage patterns. If you have a smart meter, review your ESB Networks account to see what percentage of usage occurs during night hours.
Ready to compare tariffs? Use our [energy comparison tool](/energy/compare) to see day/night and smart tariff options.
Last updated: January 2026