Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about what our site does!.
Lots of Numbers!
What does the Tariff list mean?
As the ESB now lets you download detailed half hourly data for your electricity usage, we can plug this in to a Tariff engine that will compute various price comparisons for you.
The suppliers publish EABs (Estimated Annual Bills) which, while useful, are not particularly easy to use to determine what the best rate to use is.
By importing your ESB data, our site will show you what it would have cost you had you been on any of the currently available rates.
You can select to analyse all data, the last 12 months, or specify a start date and end date, and the tariff engine will compute what each Tariff that we have listed would have cost.
This allows you to easily see which one is the cheapest for you.
Obviously, this analysis show you the way each of the current plans would have cost, it cannot predict your future costs as that depends on many factors.
But assuming that your electricity usage won't differ greatly, it does give an indication of which Plan should be cheapest for you.
It is particularly interesting to see whether or not you should stay on a regular Day/Night/Peak plan or to go for one of the EV (cheaper rates between 2am and 5am typically) or one of the free weekend day offers.
Its not always obvious from just the EAB which one is best for you.
Our site aims to make that decision a little easier by giving you the actual costs that you would have incurred across the various Tariffs.
What do the graphs show me?
We display 2 graphs, that are generated from your usage file
- The first one shows your average usage over the selected period (if you have solar panels, the electricity you send to the network will show in pink)
- The second graph displays your average hourly usage throughout a day, with the various price bands shaded (day/night/peak)
You should try and minimise your usage during peak hours (5pm-7pm) as these are the most expensive usage times.
The date range on my file is very short
There are a number of reasons why this might be the case
- You recently changed the name on the account, ESB blocks access to previous data after the name has been changed on the account
- You might only have had the meter replaced recently
- If you have just moved home, you will not be able to view the data from before you moved in (and registered with a supplier)
- THe meter might not have connectivity to ESB Networks and cannot upload data (in which case you won't have a file from ESB to upload)
What we cannot predict
We show you what your previous electricity usage would have cost, from a range of plans from various suppliers.
While it will show you which one would have been the cheapest, we cannot obviously predict your future electricity usage.
So please treat the costs we quote as a guideline when making a decision to switch suppliers.
Actual Bill comparison
If you have a recent bill from your current supplier, it can be a useful exercise to see what that would have cost with other Tariffs that are on the market.
On the Tariff comparison page, select the "Custom Date Range", and then apply the start date and end date that are on the bill you have.
You can then compare the usage for that period from all the other Tariffs against what you actually paid to your existing supplier.
Cheapest EAB is not always the cheapest plan
Depending on your particular usage, you will find that the cheapest advertised EABs are not necessarily the cheapest for you.
Our calculator, uses your previous usage to show you what you would have paid on each plan, and it also shows the EAB for that plan.
What about Gas?
We don't currently offer price comparisons for gas, as gas meters do not provide similar detailed usage data as the new electricity meters do.
For gas, its usually pretty simple, just pick the cheapest unit (kWh) rate advertised, but also keeping an eye on the standing charges.
Billing & Plans
How often can I switch plans?
You can compare at any time. We do not know anything about your current contract with your supplier. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that you are out of contract and will not incur an early exit fee when you switch suppliers.
Some Tariffs require you to be a New Customer, if you chose a plan that has that requirement and you are already supplied by that supplier we will let you know by email.
Most plans have a 1 year contract, and will have an early exit fee.
Sometimes, it can be worth paying the exit fee to switch anyway.
What is EAB (Estimated Annual Bill)?
EAB is a guideline cost based on standardised assumptions. We’ll always show your personalised estimate when we have your usage data.
As an example, the EAB guideline for a standard 24hr meter uses the Irish average usage of 4,200kWh per annum and provides a cost for that usage amount.
Day/Night and Day/Night/Peak use different splits of the 4,200kWh as defined by the regulator, the CRU (cru.ie)
It is a useful guide for a meter with one rate, ie a single 24 hour rate.
Its usefulness is limited when you look at a tariff that, for example, has EV charging hours in the middle of the night, as your usage will be base on how often you charge the vehicle.
Is there any cost to using this site?
No, there is no charge or penalty for using Powersaver.ie, the plans you see listed here are the same as those offered on other sites, and on the suppliers own websites.
Transfer to a new Supplier
How do I transfer to a new plan?
Once you're happy that a new plan will work out for you, the process to switch is quite simple.
On the list of Tariffs, most plans have a "Sign Me Up" button available.
Clicking this will show a form that needs to be completed to make the transfer, you will require your IBAN to complete this form, as all the plans require Direct Debit.
What happens once I submit the form?
Once we receive your details we will submit the request onto the suppliers system.
If there are any problems, we will contact you by email to resolve them.
You should receive a Welcome Pack from your new supplier, by email, within 3 or 4 days
Under consumer rights, you can cancel the contract within 14 days of it being setup.
You will receive a Final/Closing Bill from your old supplier within a few weeks, there is no need to contact them to close the account.
Do I need meter reads?
As we can only give you Tariff quotes if you have a downloaded file from ESB Networks, your meter is one of the newer types.
In most cases, ESB Networks can read your meter remotely, and will take a remote reading when the new supplier takes over.
In some cases, if they cannot get a meter read, the new supplier may ask us to contact you to provide one. If so, we will do that by email.
Is there any interruption in supply?
All electricity in Ireland is supplied by ESB Networks, so there is no interruption in supply when you transfer to a new supplier.
You are really only changing the company that bills you.
Some Tariffs are listed as unavailable?
We only have a relationship with some suppliers.
Once we have linked up with others, we will make them available on our site.
If you decide to chose a supply from one of the suppliers that we have marked as "Unavailable", please visit their website and sign up to them directly.