Smart Meters in Ireland: How They Work and What They Mean for Your Bill
A smart meter is a digital electricity meter that measures what you use in 30-minute periods and sends the reading to ESB Networks itself, over the mobile network, so nobody has to call to your door and your bills stop being estimates. ESB Networks has installed more than two million of them since the rollout began in late 2019 and is still replacing the remaining meters, including three-phase supplies.
The meter itself changes nothing about your price. What it unlocks is the choice of a smart tariff with cheaper night hours, a downloadable record of your usage you can run through a comparison, and, if you have solar panels, payment for the electricity you actually export instead of an estimate.
Last verified 12 September 2026
Fact-checked by John Rooney, Solar Energy Editor. Editorial policy
Quick Answer
A smart meter is an ESB Networks digital electricity meter that records consumption, and export for solar homes, every 30 minutes and sends readings automatically over the 2G or narrow-band 4G mobile network. Over two million have been installed since late 2019 at no extra charge. Getting one does not change your tariff, but it lets you choose a smart tariff (night 11pm to 8am, peak 5pm to 7pm, day the rest), download your usage as a 30-minute HDF file from myaccount.esbnetworks.ie, and be paid for metered rather than deemed solar export.
What is a smart meter and how does it work?
ESB Networks describes smart meters as the next generation of metering technology: the meter measures the amount of electricity you use and automatically sends the reading directly to ESB Networks, which passes it to your supplier for billing. It replaces the standard 24-hour meter, the Day/Night (NightSaver) meter and the old night storage heating meters.
Inside the meter is the equivalent of a mobile phone transmitter and antenna. According to ESB Networks the meters use either the older 2G (GSM) system or one of the narrow-band 4G channels used for the Internet of Things; none use 5G. Every two hours or so the meter sends a short package of data, similar to a text message, to confirm it is still connected. Once a day, normally around midnight, it sends the total electricity consumed and exported over the previous 24 hours. Each message takes a fraction of a second and all data is encrypted.
What the meter records
- Register data: the total consumed and exported over the previous 24 hours, sent nightly
- Interval data: consumption and export in 30-minute periods
- Event data: diagnostics about the meter and the network
- Instrumentation data: power quality metrics for the network
What changes for you
- No more meter readers or estimated bills once connected
- Your tariff stays exactly the same unless you change it
- You can see daily, weekly and monthly usage in an ESB Networks online account
- Solar export is metered, not estimated
ESB Networks notes that health authorities including the World Health Organization have assessed the evidence and there are no established health effects from smart meters.
The ESB Networks smart meter rollout
The National Smart Metering Programme is a nationwide upgrade of the electricity meters in every home and business. It started in late 2019 and ESB Networks reports more than two million meters installed to date. The remaining work is mainly three-phase supplies, which are being upgraded now, with CT-metered three-phase exchanges expected to begin in 2028. If you have not been upgraded yet you can ask for one through the ESB Networks smart meter sign-up form.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Letter | ESB Networks writes to you a few weeks before the exchange. If the meter is outside you do not need to be home; if it is indoors an appointment is arranged. |
| Exchange | An ESB Networks technician or a contractor working on its behalf, carrying photo ID, swaps the meter in the same location. The power is off for about 45 minutes and a safety check is done at no cost. |
| Cost | Nothing extra. ESB Networks states there is no additional charge; the programme is paid for through the network charges already in every bill. |
| Connection | The meter connects to the ESB Networks communications network over the following 30 days. Until then you may still get an estimated bill. |
| Tariff | Unchanged. There is no change to your tariff following installation unless you ask your supplier for a smart plan. |
If you are still getting estimated bills months after the exchange, ESB Networks lists the usual causes: the 30-day connection window, a temporary network outage, telecoms maintenance in the area, a physical obstruction around the meter, or a low-connectivity location. Meters that cannot connect remotely cannot be put on interval-based tariffs, though the standard time-of-use option remains available.
How to tell if you already have a smart meter
Three checks, any one of which settles it.
1. Look at the display
A smart meter shows a cumulative kWh reading without any button press, and its button cycles through night (A+ T1), day (A+ T2), peak (A+ T3) and export (A-) registers. An old analogue meter has a spinning disc; the older electronic Day/Night meter shows a 1 beside the night reading and a 2 beside the day reading and has no peak or export screen.
2. Check the MCC on your bill
The Meter Configuration Code describes the type of meter or its functionality. Per the CRU glossary, MCC01 is a 24-hour meter and MCC02 a day/night meter, while MCC12 is a smart meter on a half-hourly time-of-use tariff and MCC16 is a smart meter on the Standard Smart Tariff with bi-monthly collection. Any MCC in the smart range means the hardware is smart.
3. Register online
Sign up at myaccount.esbnetworks.ie with your MPRN and a mobile number that matches your supplier's records. If the account shows 30-minute or daily usage, you have a connected smart meter. If it cannot find data, the meter is either not smart or not yet connected.
Note that a smart meter can be fitted and still be billed on your old 24-hour or NightSaver tariff. The meter type and the tariff are separate things, which is why the MCC on your bill can change when you switch plan without anyone touching the meter.
How to read your smart meter and download your data
Reading the display
You should rarely need to read it, but ESB Networks publishes the sequence. The main screen shows cumulative consumption. Pressing the button steps through: 1 date and time, 2 cumulative reading, 3 night usage, 4 day usage, 5 peak usage, 6 a test display, and 7 export. Night, day and peak are marked A+ with T1, T2 and T3; export is marked A- and only appears for microgeneration customers.
Getting the 30-minute file (HDF)
- Register for an ESB Networks online account at myaccount.esbnetworks.ie. You need your MPRN (on your bill) and a mobile number for two-factor authentication; the name and number must match what your supplier holds.
- Open My Energy Consumption. The default view is a weekly chart, with a drop-down for daily, monthly or yearly, broken down by day, night and peak and shown in kW or kWh.
- Go to Downloads and choose 30-minute readings in kWh. ESB Networks calls these Harmonised Downloadable Files (HDF); they are plain .csv files that open in any spreadsheet.
| Download | Contents |
|---|---|
| 30-minute readings in kW | Average demand in each half hour |
| 30-minute readings in kWh | Energy used in each half hour; the file to use for tariff comparisons |
| Daily snapshot of day/night/peak usage in kWh | One line per day split by smart tariff band |
| Daily snapshot of total usage and export data in kW | Daily totals including export, where applicable |
The account holds up to two years of usage and keeps it even if you change supplier. New readings can take 36 to 48 hours to appear, and a newly installed meter shows nothing until it has connected, which can take up to 30 days.
Use your smart meter file in our comparison
Upload the 30-minute kWh HDF file to our electricity price comparison and it prices every current smart, night-rate and 24-hour plan against your real usage pattern. The file is parsed in your browser and never uploaded to a server.
Compare tariffs with your HDF file →Smart tariffs versus standard tariffs
A standard tariff charges one rate all day (or two on a NightSaver meter). A smart time-of-use tariff splits the day into three bands with three prices. The CRU requires every supplier to offer a time-of-use tariff, and the bands are the same across suppliers.
| Band | Hours | Typical price position |
|---|---|---|
| Day | 8am to 11pm, excluding peak | Middle rate |
| Peak | 5pm to 7pm | Highest rate |
| Night | 11pm to 8am | Lowest rate |
Two rules matter before you sign up. First, the CRU is explicit that once a smart meter has been activated for smart services this cannot be reversed, and suppliers state that once your meter is set to a smart tariff it cannot be moved back to a non-smart tariff; Bord Gáis Energy, for example, says you cannot return to a non-smart plan because of industry rules. You keep a choice of tariff, because most suppliers sell a smart 24-hour plan with one price all day, so the exit route from a day/night/peak plan is a smart 24-hour plan, not your old plan. Second, on a smart tariff the day/night split is fixed at 8am and 11pm all year; there is no summer shift as there is on a legacy NightSaver meter.
Current night, day and peak rates for every supplier, with the break-even night share that makes a smart plan cheaper than a flat one, are on the night rate electricity guide. For EVs, batteries and heat pumps see the EV tariffs, battery tariffs and heat pump tariffs leaderboards.
Smart meters and solar panels: the export register
A smart meter has two directions. The A+ registers count what you import; the A- register counts what your solar system sends back to the grid. ESB Networks confirms you need a smart meter to be paid on the metered amount under the Microgeneration Support Scheme, because the meter records both consumption and export. Your export figure is what the supplier multiplies by its Clean Export Guarantee rate.
Metered export
With a connected smart meter and an active export register, ESB Networks passes your real half-hourly export to your supplier and you are paid for every kWh recorded. You can see the same figure yourself in the daily export download in your ESB Networks account.
Deemed export
Without a smart meter your export is not measured, so ESB Networks calculates a deemed export quantity using a formula decided by the CRU (installed capacity multiplied by a 9.7% capacity factor, a 35% export factor and the billing interval) and your supplier pays that instead. The CRU says payment changes from deemed to metered once the smart meter is installed.
Payment also depends on paperwork the meter cannot fix: your installer must submit the NC6 form to ESB Networks (systems under 6 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase; NC7 up to 50 kW), the export register must be active for your MPRN, and your supplier must enrol you on the Clean Export Guarantee. If your export shows as zero, work through the smart meter not recording export checklist. Rates by supplier and the tax-free allowance are on the microgeneration export payments page.
One hardware caveat from ESB Networks: clip-on LED pulse readers that give near real-time consumption do not work correctly on meters that export, so solar homes should rely on the inverter app and the ESB Networks account instead.
Smart prepay and top-up meters
The same smart meter can run in prepay mode. Instead of a bill you buy credit in advance and the meter deducts it as you use electricity, which suits households that want to control spend week by week. Electric Ireland's smart pay-as-you-go service, for instance, lets you top up online, by text, in the app or at a Payzone outlet, with the credit applied to the meter remotely.
Electric Ireland top-up guide →Privacy and your data
ESB Networks treats smart meter readings as personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR, and has published a Data Protection Impact Assessment for the programme. The meter has been independently tested for cyber security, its data is encrypted, and the ESB Networks systems that receive it are behind multiple firewalls and subject to regular independent review.
Who sees what is governed by consent. The CRU states that your 30-minute data will only be read by your supplier if you have given permission by asking for a smart service, and ESB Networks says it sends suppliers only the minimum data needed to bill the tariff you chose. On a standard smart tariff with bi-monthly collection (MCC16) the supplier receives day, night and peak totals every two months; on a half-hourly tariff (MCC12) it receives the 48 daily interval reads. Interval data for customers on interval tariffs is retained for seven years; other data for up to two years.
Tariff leaderboards
The same supplier data, ranked for a different question. Pick the one that matches how your home uses electricity.
Cheapest Electricity in Ireland
Every supplier's 24-hour new-customer plan ranked by annual bill.
Best Suppliers for Solar
Clean Export Guarantee rates ranked, with payment cadence and terms.
Best EV Tariffs
Night-rate EV plans ranked by unit rate, window and cost per 100 km.
Best Tariffs for Heat Pumps
Night-rate and flat plans costed at 8,000 kWh a year.
Best Tariffs for Home Batteries
Day-to-night spread ranked, plus what a 5 or 10 kWh battery earns.
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.
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Smart meter FAQ
How do I know if I have a smart meter in Ireland?
Look at the meter. An ESB Networks smart meter has a digital display that shows a cumulative kWh reading without pressing anything, and pressing the button cycles through date and time, total, night (A+ T1), day (A+ T2), peak (A+ T3) and, for solar homes, export (A-). The older meters are either a spinning-disc analogue meter or a simple electronic display with a 1 and 2 register for night and day. Two other checks: your bill will show a smart meter configuration code such as MCC12 or MCC16 rather than MCC01 or MCC02, and if you can register at myaccount.esbnetworks.ie with your MPRN and see 30-minute usage, the meter is smart and connected.
Do I need a smart meter for solar panels?
Yes, if you want to be paid for what you actually export. ESB Networks says a smart meter records both your consumption and any electricity you export to the grid, and that you need one to be paid on metered export under the Microgeneration Support Scheme. Without one your supplier pays a deemed export quantity, an estimate calculated by ESB Networks using a formula set by the CRU, until a smart meter is installed. The panels themselves work with any meter.
Can I refuse a smart meter in Ireland?
Not in any practical sense. ESB Networks meters are the property of ESB Networks, and the CRU has noted that older analogue meters are no longer available to be installed because every meter is being upgraded. In a published CRU case study a customer who asked to have a smart meter removed was refused, and the CRU did not uphold the complaint. What you can refuse is the smart tariff: getting the meter does not change your tariff, and you can stay on a 24-hour price plan.
How do I read my smart meter?
The main screen shows your total cumulative consumption in kWh with no button press. Press the button to scroll: 1 date and time, 2 cumulative reading, 3 night usage (A+ T1), 4 day usage (A+ T2), 5 peak usage (A+ T3), 6 test display, 7 export (A-). You should not normally need to do this because the meter sends readings to ESB Networks automatically once it has connected, which takes up to 30 days after installation.
Does a smart meter cost anything?
No. ESB Networks states there is no additional charge for upgrading your meter; the cost of the programme is recovered through the network charges already built into every electricity bill. Installation takes about 45 minutes with the power off, and if the meter is outside you do not need to be home.
How do smart meters send readings?
Over the mobile network. ESB Networks says the meter contains the equivalent of a mobile phone transmitter and antenna, uses 2G (GSM) or a narrow-band 4G channel, and never 5G. It sends a short encrypted package of data, similar to a text message, roughly every two hours to confirm the connection, and once a day around midnight it sends the total consumed and exported over the previous 24 hours. Half-hourly interval data is sent to your supplier only if you are on a tariff that needs it.
Sources
- ESB Networks: Smart meters FAQ (programme, installation, reading the display, time-of-use bands)
- ESB Networks: About smart meters
- ESB Networks: Smart meters and data (what is collected, transmission, retention, GDPR)
- ESB Networks: Smart meter technology (2G and narrow-band 4G communications)
- ESB Networks: View my smart meter usage (online account, HDF, 36-48 hour lag)
- ESB Networks: What data is contained in each downloadable file
- ESB Networks: My energy consumption FAQ
- ESB Networks: How to read electronic domestic meters
- CRU: Smart meters and services
- CRU: Smart meter glossary (MCC codes, standard smart tariff)
- CRU: Case study, customer seeking smart meter removal
- CRU: Case study, smart tariff sign-up (activation cannot be reversed)
- CRU: Microgeneration (NC6 and NC7 thresholds)
- CRU: Microgeneration Q&As, April 2025 (deemed versus metered export)
- Bord Gáis Energy: Can I move back to a non-smart plan?
- Electric Ireland: Time of Use smart tariff bands
- Pinergy: Clean Export Guarantee (deemed export quantity formula and CRU factors)
All facts verified 12 September 2026.
Related Guides
Night Rate Electricity
Night rate hours, every supplier's night rate, and the break-even against a flat plan.
Electricity Price Comparison
Every supplier priced on your usage, with bill and smart meter upload and a solar what-if.
Smart Meter Not Recording Export
Export not metered? ESB Networks vs supplier, and NC6.
Export Payments
Sell surplus electricity at 15–32c/kWh.
John Rooney is the editor of Solar Info and has been covering the Irish solar energy market since 2023. He fact-checks all content against official SEAI data and maintains relationships with SEAI-registered installers across Ireland.
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