Alright on the night? The pros and cons of time-of-day energy usage

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has said a measure that could be considered to arrest rocketing household energy bills could be mandatory “time-of-day" pricing.

It is to encourage people to change their energy use to periods where costs are usually cheaper at night.

In lieu of the Government bringing this is in as a mandatory measure, does it stack up that you can save on your bills by using electricity at night more than in the daytime? Let’s take a look.

Is it cheaper to use electricity at night?

It certainly can be. But it’s important to look at the small print.

Under normal tariffs charged by energy companies, it costs the same to use electricity day or night as it’s all charged at the same rate.

You’d have to switch to a specific tariff that offers cheaper rates at night.

The offset to that is it's slightly more expensive than to use electricity during the day and at peak times.

In order to make it work, you’d have to adapt your energy usage — for some people significantly – to secure savings in this way.

What’s a night saver meter?

If you are to make a switch to a night-time tariff, you need a night saver meter if you don't already have a smart meter. This tracks your usage across the different time brackets and charges you accordingly.

From late October to late March, night saver meters apply from 11pm to 8am. During the summer months, from late March to late October, it applies from midnight to 9am.

Another downside is the standing charge for a night saver meter is about €50-60 higher than it is for a normal meter, so you won’t be seeing savings instantly.

Should I switch?

According to analysis by Bonkers.ie, the average household uses 14 units of electricity per day and around 30% of that (or four units) would need to be used at nighttime to make it worthwhile.

“Of course, the more units you use at night, the more you will save,” it said.

You’ll only really see big savings — and we're talking maybe a couple of hundred euro a year at the most — by switching to a night-time smart meter. And it will require you to do more at night.

One other thing to bear in mind is advice from the likes of the Dublin Fire Brigade, which recommends never to run an appliance while you sleep and specifically urges against using tumble dryers, dishwashers, and washing machines.