Night usage rates?

donabate1

Hi

Is it 11pm onwards taht the night time cheaper usage rates begin?

ixoy

It's pretty clear on the site:

Night rate hours are 11pm to 8am in wintertime and 12am to 9am in summertime.

So 12am currently. I always put my washing on at night now too to really avail of it!

ESB CS: Chris

Hi Donabate1,

As Ixoy mentioned the Nightsaver times at the moment are 12.00 Midnight until 9.00am.

When the clocks go back in October, this will change to 11.00pm until 8.00am.

You can find more information on this here.

Many thanks
Chris

eamon234

Might be worth mentioning - you have to have a Nightsaver meter installed to avail of these rates. It's amazing the amount of people that don't know this and think they're still getting cheap electricity at night!

thenightrider

"There is no installation charge for changing your existing electricity meter to the special Nightsaver meter."

So i can get a night time meter to get cheaper electricity at night put in for free and save money is there any catch's ?

Fnergg

thenightrider wrote: »

..
So i can get a night time meter to get cheaper electricity at night put in for free and save money is there any catch's ?

Yes, there's a catch: your Standing Charge will increase and to offset the additional cost and make savings you would want to be using about 4 units a night on average thoughout the year.

The average Urban Standing Charge increases from €15.37 to €21.11 and the Rural one increases from €20.50 to €26.72 (all excl.VAT.)

[Note to ESBCS: please include VAT in your domestic prices on the website - it is stupid to show them excl. VAT.]

Very few domestic households will be able to realise that level of usage between 11am and 8am and Midnight to 9am (winter and summer).

If you can't, and you find that you are losing money because of the increased Standing Charge, it will cost you €192.95 plus VAT to change the meter back to the standard 24 hour one.

(All these rates - Standing Charges and meter exchange fee - apply to all the electricity suppliers - it doesn't matter if you are with ESBCS, Bord Gais or Airtricity).

Your best bet is to take readings at the start and finish of the Night period for a couple of weeks. Find out how many units on average you are using at night. I think 4 units a night throughout the year is the minimum to make a saving but if you phone ESBCS with your data they will be able to do a calculation for you based on your overall usage.

By the way, remember also that washing machines and tumbler driers in particular should not be used unattended so switching them on just before you go to bed in order to avail of cheaper electricity is not a good idea from a safety perspective.

Regards,

Fnergg

thenightrider

Thanks Fnergg ill look in to my bills and see if it is worth my while.

ESB CS: Chris

Hi thenightrider,

You would need to be using a certain proportion of your units during the nightsaver period to offset the higher daily standing charge.

As a guideline, a typical Urban or Rural customer using 5,300(kWh) units per year would need to use a minimum of 3 units by night to benefit from Nightsaver.

To find out if this tariff would suit your usage patterns, it would be best to record your usage as Fnergg mentions. This will help you to find out how much electricity you are using during the Nightsaver period and to find out if this tariff would be suitable for you.

If you have any further questions that relate specifically to your account or usage patterns, please feel free to send me a pm and I will look into this matter for you.

Many thanks
Chris

Cadoche

Hi. Please I'd like to know id this day/night things really exists for everyone cos since I've been renting for over 7yrs, I've always had standard meter. Maybe its there and I don't take note. I'm moving shortly, is there anything I need to know or do I need to request the service with ESB or is it automatic???

Davy

You dont get the day and night rates unless you have dual tariff meter. Most domestic premises just have the single tariff, but ones with storage heating should have the night saver.

If you dont have a dual tariff meter, you can request one for free from esb customer supply. You can read all the info on their site: http://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/your_account/urban_nightsaver_tariff.jsp

ESB CS: Chris

Hi Cadoche,

As Davy mentioned, you can only avail of our Nightsaver tarrif if you have a dual tarrif meter installed. If you are considering having one installed you will find information here.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that you would need to be using a certain proportion of your units during the nightsaver period to offset the higher daily standing charge.

As a guideline, a typical Urban or Rural customer using 5,300(kWh) units per year would need to use a minimum of 3 units by night to benefit from Nightsaver.

If you are moving out of this property, it is important to get in contact with us to close your account. You will remain liable for all electricity charges up until you notifiy us of your account closure. You can close your account online using our self sevice option here. You can also transfer your account to your new address using this online service.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Many thanks
Chris