What is a NightSaver Meter?

What is a NightSaver Meter?

A NightSaver Meter is a meter that records day and night time electricity consumption separately. Electricity consumed at night time is cheaper, hence its name.

What are the defined hours for a NightSaver Meter?

The definition of where “night” actually ends and a new day begins will be different for night owls and early birds out there.

Thankfully, for NightSaver meter users, the hours are clearly defined:

• Winter - between 11pm-8am (late October to late March)
• Summer - between 12am-9am (late March to late October)

When summer moves to winter, you will automatically be charged reduced night time rates for the new hours of 11pm-8am. So, you don’t need to worry about adjusting your meter.

Will a NightSaver Meter save me money?

In short, yes. If you're considering having a NightSaver Meter installed you will have to keep an eye on your day time and night time consumption and make sure to take advantage of the discounted rates.

A NightSaver Meter is designed to save you money and encourage you to use more of your electricity at night, when there is surplus capacity that suppliers want you to use up. However, you might need to make a few small changes and move some of your electricity usage to after bedtime to be sure of making savings.

The good news is that it’s very simple to make these changes! Little things like running your dishwasher after midnight and using your washing machine before 9am will make a big difference. And there are some cheap and nifty gadgets, such as plug timers and electricity monitors, that will help you to do this too.

How much will I save?

So, let’s look a little closer at how much you could save.

As an example, Electric Ireland’s NightSaver unit rates are 18.52 cent (inc. VAT) during the day but only 9.15 cent (inc. VAT) at night. The standing charge is about €60 higher than it is for a single unit meter, but you can make this back pretty quickly with a few turns of washing your clothes, your dishes and yourself before you eat your corn flakes in the morning.

The average Irish household uses 14 units of electricity per day so using just 4 units after bedtime will make a NightSaver Meter a smart choice.

Here’s what 4 units look like:

• 7-10 minutes in your electrical shower 
• 20-40 minutes of tumble drying 
• 70-100 minutes of running your washing machine
• 70-100 minutes dishwasher cycle

Of course, the more units you use at night, the more you will save.

How do I take a NightSaver Meter reading?

A NightSaver Meter is similar to a regular meter, but with one clear difference. Where a standard meter has one row of digits, a NightSaver Meter has two, one to record electricity consumption in the day and another to record consumption at night. Both rows will be clearly marked with an ‘I’ and ‘II’ or ‘day’ and ‘night’ to distinguish between the two.

For more information on how to take a meter reading, you can consult our guide here.

Immersion heaters love NightSaver Meters!

The best way to take advantage of discounted night time rates with your NightSaver Meter is by turning your immersion heater on overnight; it’s one of the greediest energy guzzlers out there!

Heating your standard 120-litre tank from cold takes about 2.5 hours and costs roughly €1.30 a day. If you have a NightSaver Meter and do all of your water heating at night, you could cut this cost in half and save yourself around €250 a year. And if you have an old, naked immersion tank, you could add a high-quality lagging jacket to reduce those costs even further.

How do I get a NightSaver Meter?

Getting a NightSaver Meter is very straightforward, and it’s completely free. Just call your electricity supplier to request one and they’ll arrange for ESB Networks to call out to your house and install one.

Start saving on your energy bills

Installing a NightSaver Meter will likely save you money on your electricity bills, but did you know that you could save over €400 a year by switching energy suppliers?

You can quickly compare gas and electricity deals from all of Ireland's energy suppliers on bonkers.ie with our easy-to-use comparison service.

For more information, take a look at our guides on how to compare gas and electricity prices and what you need to make the switch.

We also have some other guides that will help you make informed decisions when switching:

• Familiarise yourself with these 10 important terms that are commonly used to avoid any confusion.
• Have a read through some of the most common questions we get asked about the switching process.
• While price is an important factor, there are other aspects to consider when looking to switch energy suppliers. Here are 7 key things to keep in mind.

Here to help

If you would like any further information on NightSaver Meters, just email us at hello@bonkers.ie and we’ll gladly answer any questions you have. 

Alternatively, you can contact us on social media. We’re on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.