Average Electricity Bill in Ireland 2026

Average electricity bill by supplier at 4,200 kWh

Each supplier’s best new-customer 24-hour plan, urban meter, costed at the CRU typical usage. “Annual bill” is unit rate times 4,200 kWh plus the standing charge plus the current PSO levy (€19.10 a year). Welcome credits are shown separately because they only apply in year one.

All figures include 9% VAT. The average is a simple mean across suppliers, not weighted by customer numbers, so it sits above what most people actually pay: the four largest suppliers are all in the cheaper half of the table. Flogas is costed at its standard rate because it lists no new-customer discount plan. For the ranked list with switching details see cheapest electricity in Ireland.

Average electricity bill by household size

Usage, not household size, sets the bill, so we cost four usage bands and describe the kind of home each fits. The bands and labels are ours; the 4,200 kWh figure is the CRU’s. Each row is the average across all 10 suppliers, PSO levy included, with the cheapest plan at that usage alongside.

The all-in cost per kWh falls as usage rises because the standing charge and PSO levy are spread over more units. Most Irish suppliers bill every two months, which is why the bi-monthly column is the one that matches the envelope on the mat. To find your own usage, look for “kWh” on a recent bill or in your ESB Networks online account.

What makes up the bill

How this compares with the CRU estimated annual bill

Every Irish supplier must publish an Estimated Annual Bill (EAB) for each plan, calculated on the CRU’s typical consumption figures. The CRU set those figures at 4,200 kWh of electricity and 11,000 kWh of gas in a decision paper published on 21 March 2017, with suppliers and comparison sites required to use them from 1 August 2017 at the latest. Both were reductions on the previous figures.

Our supplier table uses the same 4,200 kWh, so our per-supplier bills should sit close to each supplier’s own EAB for the same plan and meter. Small differences come down to rounding, whether the PSO levy is included, and the date each was calculated; a supplier’s EAB is fixed at publication while ours moves whenever we re-verify rates. Where our figure and the supplier’s EAB disagree by more than a few euro, trust the supplier’s sheet and tell us.

The one thing the EAB cannot tell you is whether 4,200 kWh is you. The figure dates from 2017 and predates the wave of heat pumps and EVs; a home with either will usually sit in our 6,000 or 8,000 kWh band. Run your actual annual kWh through the electricity price comparison rather than relying on the typical figure.

Why the average bill is rising in October 2026

Three of the four largest suppliers have announced rises of around 9% that take effect in the first two weeks of October, following Pinergy in mid-September and Electric Ireland, Yuno Energy and Flogas in July. Once every announced change has landed, the average bill at 4,200 kWh across all suppliers moves from €1,762 to about €1,780, even after the PSO levy cut on 1 October is counted. The full list, with before-and-after rates, is on the electricity price increases page.

• 12 Oct 2026, Energia: Electricity and gas prices rise by up to 9.4%. The new-customer 24-hour rate we track goes from 29.85c to 30.45c/kWh and the urban standing charge from €265.01 to €278.27.
• 9 Oct 2026, Bord Gáis Energy: Electricity rises around 9% (typical bill +8.8%). New-customer 24-hour rate 30.78c to 33.58c/kWh; urban standing charge €244.76 to €262.38.
• 5 Oct 2026, SSE Airtricity: Electricity rises around 9%. Top Discount 24-hour rate 28.79c to 31.50c/kWh; urban standing charge €263.86 to €280.01.
• 14 Sep 2026, Pinergy: Pinergy says a typical bill rises 7.6%. The 24-hour standard rate goes from 41.77c to 45.80c/kWh (up 9.6% on the unit rate) with the standing charge unchanged. The pay-as-you-go plan we track is priced at 10% off that standard rate.

The post-rise average applies each supplier’s announced post-change rate where one exists and the current rate where none has been announced, so it will move again if more suppliers follow.

How solar panels change the average bill

Every figure above assumes you buy all 4,200 kWh from the grid. A home with solar buys fewer units, so the unit rate matters less and two other numbers start to matter more: the standing charge, which you pay in full no matter how much you generate, and the Clean Export Guarantee rate the supplier pays for the surplus you send out. That changes which supplier is cheapest, and the ranking for a solar home is often different from the table above.

Two guides cover the numbers: what a system costs after the SEAI grant and how long it takes to pay back on today’s rates is on solar panel costs, and the electricity price comparison has a solar what-if that reprices every supplier on your reduced import and your export.

Irish Electricity Price Changes 2026

Every announced change we have verified on the supplier's own site, newest first, with the date it takes effect. The rates on this page were last verified on 12 Sep 2026 and show the current price until each change lands.

1. 12 Oct 2026

   Energia

   Electricity and gas prices rise by up to 9.4%. The new-customer 24-hour rate we track goes from 29.85c to 30.45c/kWh and the urban standing charge from €265.01 to €278.27. source

2. 9 Oct 2026

   Bord Gáis Energy

   Electricity rises around 9% (typical bill +8.8%). New-customer 24-hour rate 30.78c to 33.58c/kWh; urban standing charge €244.76 to €262.38. source

3. 5 Oct 2026

   SSE Airtricity

   Electricity rises around 9%. Top Discount 24-hour rate 28.79c to 31.50c/kWh; urban standing charge €263.86 to €280.01. source

4. 1 Oct 2026

   All suppliers

   CRU-approved 2026/27 network charges add about €41.25 a year (€3.44 a month) to a typical domestic electricity bill after the regulator trimmed network revenue allowances by €138 million. Every supplier passes these charges through. source

5. 1 Oct 2026

   All suppliers

   PSO levy cut by 66% for the 2026/27 levy year, to €0.51 a month for domestic customers (€6.12 a year ex-VAT, €6.67 inc VAT, down from €19.10). It is charged by every supplier, so it lowers every bill by the same amount. source

Full details of each rise, with before-and-after rates, are on the electricity price increases page. The underlying market is tracked daily on the wholesale electricity prices page. No universal energy credit is planned for Budget 2027 on 6 October: see what support exists instead.

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