Bord Gáis Energy announces free weekend electricity with new smart tariffs

With smart meter services now finally up and running for customers who have a smart meter installed, the next step is signing up to a smart tariff to make the most of your new technology.

Smart energy suppliers Pinergy and Electric Ireland were the first to step out and offer customers their new range of smart tariffs, but now it’s the turn of another one of Ireland’s biggest energy suppliers... 

Bord Gáis Energy has announced its brand new and flexible range of smart energy plans, which it says are all about helping customers to save money, improve their energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint.

Among the plans on offer include free weekend electricity, as well as discounted weekend rates and a range of freebies on certain plans.

But first, let’s take a look at the new smart electricity tariffs announced.

A new range of smart plans

Bord Gáis Energy has launched what it has called its ‘most innovative and cost-effective’ plans to date with its brand new range of smart electricity tariffs.

Take a look at the main tariffs announced from the supplier, outlined below.

• Standard Smart Tariff (SST) - Split into three time bands - Day (8am to 11pm),  Night (11pm to 8am) and Peak (5pm to 7pm) and each band has its own price. You’ll be billed every two months. Smart meter data will be collected every two months.
• Smart Time of Use (ToU) Tariff - Split into three time bands – Day (8am to 11pm), Night (11pm to 8am) and Peak (5pm to 6pm) and each band has its own price. You can choose if you want to be billed monthly or bi monthly and can pick the day of the month you want to be billed. Your smart meter data will be collected Half Hourly.
• Free Time Saturday or Free Time Sunday Tariff - Split into time bands - Day (8am to 11pm), Night (11pm to 8am), Peak (5pm to 7pm) and “free time”. Each time period has its own price for electricity. Free time can be either Saturday or Sunday between 9am to 5pm – you can choose the day when you sign-up. You can choose if you want to be billed monthly or bi-monthly and can pick the day of the month you want to be billed. Your smart meter data will be collected Half Hourly.
• Discount Weekend Tariff - Split into time bands -  Day (8am to 11pm),  Night (11pm to 8am), Peak (5pm to 7pm) and Weekends (Saturday 8am to Monday 8am). Each time period has its own price. This Tariff gives customers a night rate all weekend. However, this tariff can have different prices for summer and winter (currently the prices are the same). You can choose if you want to be billed monthly or bi-monthly and can pick the day of the month you want to be billed. Your smart meter data will be collected Half Hourly.

Preparing for the future

The new smart plans from Bord Gáis Energy are all about helping energy customers to improve their home energy efficiency, reducing their carbon footprint, and saving money by doing so.

What’s more, Bord Gáis Energy’s smart bills will provide customers with key information upfront, graphs comparing their energy usage year-on-year, and helpful hints and tips to help manage their electricity.

Colin Bebbington, Retail Director at Bord Gáis Energy said:

The roll out of smart meters in Ireland offers Irish householders access to more timely, detailed information of their energy usage; and with so many people working from home right now, improving energy efficiency is high on the agenda. 

Smart homes and smart energy are the future, and Bord Gáis Energy is committed to bringing the most innovative plans and products to help customers have a smooth transition to smarter energy. Our smart plans will give our customers more control over their energy, providing flexibility and insight. By offering different energy prices for different times, we’re giving customers more power and choice around their energy usage, that suits their lifestyles.

According to the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU), early smart meter trials showed that households were able to reduce their consumption by up to 2.5% on average, with some families reducing their energy consumption by up to 9% during peak times.

While there are a great many different plans to choose from, including a combination of dual fuel plans, let’s take a more in-depth look at the Free Time Saturday or Sunday tariffs above.

Free Time Saturday/Sunday plans

With these smart energy plans Bord Gáis is offering smart meter customers free weekend electricity on either Saturday or Sunday with a range of both electricity only and dual fuel plans to choose from.

As outlined above, the plans are Time of Use tariffs and charge a separate unit rate for electricity used at different times of the day, changing from plan to plan. Examples of some of the unit rates charged can be seen in our tables below.

The three time bands for the Free Time Saturday/Sunday plans are as follows: Day (8am to 11pm), Night (11pm to 8am), and Peak (5pm to 7pm).

However, this also includes the free time on either Saturday or Sunday and runs from 9am to 5pm.

As with most of the new smart plans on offer, with the exception of the standard smart tariff, new customers who sign up will be able to choose if they want to be billed monthly or every two months.

It’s also possible to pick the day of the month you want to be billed, which could be after pay day, for example.

Take a look at some of the select features from both the electricity only and dual fuel plans on offer in our tables below!

Compare energy plans today

On bonkers.ie it’s never been easier to compare a wide range of gas and electricity plans. Our comprehensive comparison service allows you to review energy deals from 14 suppliers in Ireland. 

Those who decide to switch today could save over €400 on their annual energy bills. 

You’ll be happy to hear that you only need a few things to switch:

• A GPRN number if switching gas and an MPRN number if switching electricity
• A recent meter reading
• A good estimate of how much energy you use
• Some personal details

Read our helpful guide on what you need to switch suppliers for further information.

Try out our comparison service here yourself and see how much you can save!

Let’s hear from you!

Are you one of the lucky ones who already has a smart meter installed in your home? What do you think of the new smart electric tariffs from Bord Gáis Energy? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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