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Cheap Northern Ireland electricity
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Updated 22 March 2023
With the energy market in crisis, the Government has intervened and introduced the Energy Price Guarantee, reducing the rates households in Northern Ireland pay for their energy. Yet even with the reduction in energy prices, some can still save on their electricity by switching supplier or changing the way they pay for energy.
Energy bill support this winter
With energy prices at all-time highs, the Government has intervened in the market, with various schemes to help households this winter:
- A reduction in the rates you pay for electricity and gas. Under the Energy Price Guarantee, households in Northern Ireland will get an automatic unit rate price reduction of 13.6p per kilowatt (p/kWh) for electricity, and 3.9p/kWh for gas from January 2023 (it was 19.9p/kWh for electricity and 4.8p/kWh for gas between October and December 2022).
- A £600 non-repayable grant in – most should have been paid by now. Households in Northern Ireland get a total of £600 to help with energy bills, which is being paid throughout January and February. This includes the £400 discount on energy bills in line with the rest of the UK, plus £200 under the Alternative Fuel Payment scheme, which all homes in Northern Ireland are eligible for.
It'll be paid by your electricity supplier, and how you get it depends on how you pay for your energy:
- If you pay your energy bill by direct debit, you'll receive the payment automatically into your bank account between 16 January and 28 February. So you won't need to contact your supplier to get the cash.
- If you pay on receipt of a bill or you have a prepayment meter, you should have been a sent a £600 voucher by post. These were sent over a four-week period from 16 January, and the Post Office has said everyone should have received them by now. It's valid until Fri 31 March and can be redeemed at a Post Office, either by depositing it in a bank or credit union, or, where needed, as cash. You'll also need to bring your letter, proof of address (dated between 1 Jan 2022 and 1 Jan 2023) and photo identification.
Most should have got their payment or voucher by now, but if you don't get yours, contact your electricity supplier.
- If you don't have a direct relationship with an electricity supplier, you'll need to apply. If you pay for your energy through a landlord, housing manager or site owner, or you live in a park home or houseboat, for example, you'll need to apply to get the £600. You should get an email or letter within six weeks of applying, which will confirm if you'll get the payment. Applications close 31 May 2023.
Energy prices have been reduced, but some can still switch and save on electricity
Over 800,000 households use electricity in Northern Ireland, with just over half on a standard credit meter and the rest on prepay (for example, topping up with a key or card).
Regardless of how you pay, you should have seen the rates you pay for energy reduce, with the introduction of Government's Energy Price Guarantee scheme. Despite this, what you pay could still be higher than last winter, as prices have risen rapidly in the last year.
While there are just five electricity firms supplying households, it's still worth checking if you can save by switching. Despite record wholesale energy prices (what providers pay for gas and electricity) and Government intervention, based on typical use, some can still save £100s/year switching from the most expensive tariff to the cheapest.
Watch out for security deposits if switching provider. If you're on a credit meter, move firm and choose not to pay by direct debit, most suppliers require a hefty £125 to £150 security deposit.
You'll usually get this back after 12 months or when you leave your supplier – whichever's earlier – provided your account has been paid off fully and on time, but it does add to initial costs. See full security deposit info below.
Pay by direct debit and manage your account online for the cheapest rates
While it's always worth checking if you can save by switching to a different electricity supplier, if you have a standard credit meter (so not prepayment) the biggest savings can often come from simply changing how you pay. Paying on receipt of bills, by post, is by the far the most expensive way of paying.
Yet choosing to pay by direct debit and managing your account online can net big savings with most energy suppliers.
Households to get £600 from January to help with electricity bills this winter
Like the rest of the UK, households in Northern Ireland will get £400 this winter to help pay for their energy bills – on top of the reductions in gas and electricity unit rate prices under the Energy Price Guarantee scheme.
What's more, all homes in Northern Ireland are eligible for an additional £200. Previously, this was only for households that don't use main gas – such as homes with heating oil, LPG or biomass boilers – but it announced in the Autumn Statement that this would be extended to ALL households in Northern Ireland.
That means, all households will get a total of £600 It'll be paid by your electricity supplier, but how you get it depends on how you pay for your energy:
- If you pay by direct debit, you'll receive the payment automatically into your bank account. You should get this between 16 January and 28 February.
- If you pay on receipt of a bill or you've a prepayment meter, you should have been sent a voucher in the post between. The Post Office have said all vouchers have now been sent, so you should have received yours. It will have been sent in a letter, from your electricity supplier and the UK government, and it'll contain a barcode. For customers who pay by standard credit, it'll be addressed to the account holder. For those who pay via a keypad meter it'll be addressed to ‘the occupier’.
- If you don't have a direct relationship with an electricity supplier, you'll need to apply. If you pay for your energy through a landlord, housing manager or site owner, or you live in a park home or houseboat, for example, you'll need to apply to get the £600. You should get an email or letter within six weeks of applying, which will confirm if you'll get the payment. Applications close 31 May 2023.
How to find and switch to a cheaper electricity deal
Five different firms provide electricity in Northern Ireland. How much you can save depends on whether you're on a credit meter or prepay, plus where you are and your usage.
Compare to find YOUR cheapest price
To find YOUR cheapest deal you need to do a comparison. To compare, you can use the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's tool. It's free and offers a full market comparison – the Consumer Council is an independent organisation with a legal responsibility to protect consumers' interests.
Alternatively, you can try the Power to Switch tool. It's free and does a full market comparison.
How much can you save?
With wholesale energy prices at all-time highs and Government intervention in the market, suppliers are no longer offering multiple switchers' tariffs. However, most suppliers still offer significant discounts on their most expensive rates for opting to pay by direct debit and managing your account online.
What's more, there are considerable differences between each provider's cheapest rates (usually reserved for new customers as introductory rates for about a year) and their most expensive rate. While you'll need to do a full comparison to see exactly how much you can save, here's how the cheapest typical deals on credit meters compare with standard tariffs.
Important: The prices in the table don't factor in the £600 energy bill support payment households will get in January 2023. However, the prices below do factor in the price reductions under the Energy Price Guarantee scheme.
Credit meter electricity tariffs by provider (based on typical use)
| Supplier | Tariff | Cheapest rate (cost/year) | Standard tariff (cost/year) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget Energy | Bill Pay | £705 | £1,302 | ||||||
| Click Energy | Bill Pay 24h | £801 | £810 | ||||||
| Electric Ireland | Simpler Living Discount | £907 (i) | £1,059 | ||||||
| Power NI | Energy Online / Standard rate | £796 |
£847 | ||||||
| SSE Airtricity | Home Electricity | £668 | £899 | ||||||
Tariffs correct as of 22 March 2023. Based on typical usage of 3,200 kilowatt hours (kWh)/year, including VAT. Source: The Consumer Council. If you choose not to pay by direct debit, all suppliers apart from Power NI require a £125 to £150 security deposit. (i) Comes with a £100 credit on your first bill. |
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Unlike in England, Wales and Scotland, prepay users in Northern Ireland don't typically pay much more, so it's not necessarily worth switching to a credit meter (though you can – see how below). Here's how the cheapest prepay deals stack up:
Prepay electricity tariffs by provider (based on typical use)
| Supplier | Cheapest tariff | Cheapest rate (cost/year) | Standard tariff (cost/year) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget Energy | Keypad 20% Discount Tariff | £944 (1) | £1,315 | ||||||
| Click Energy | Keypad 24h | £810 | £810 | ||||||
| Electric Ireland | Simpler Living Keypad | £1,059 (2) | £1,059 | ||||||
| Power NI | Keypad Discount | £826 (3) | £847 | ||||||
| SSE Airtricity | Keypad – Discount | £756 (4) | £865 | ||||||
Tariffs correct as of 22 March 2023. Based on typical usage of 3,200 kWh/year, including VAT. Source: The Consumer Council. (1) Comes with a 20% discount off its standard rate for 12 months, plus £80 credit (£40 after switchover, £40 after month 9) (2) Comes with £35 upfront credit and an additional £35 after 12 months. (3) Comes with free credit of between £1 and £4 on top-ups of £50 to £175 online or through its app. (4) Comes with a 10.5% discount off its standard rate for 12 months and £5 free credit. |
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How to switch to a cheaper deal
Once you've found a cheaper deal, actually switching is straightforward, and there'll be no break in supply. The precise process depends on what kind of switch you're making:
- Switching to a different supplier? Contact the supplier you wish to switch to – you can call to switch or do it through its website. It'll sort out all the techy bits (and tell your current supplier you're leaving), then let you know when the switch is completed.
You'll need your meter point reference number if you've a credit meter or your keypad premise number if you use prepay – both can be found on your latest bill. There's a 10 working day cooling-off period after you've started the switch, and after that you should be all switched over within a further 15 working days.
Changing the way you pay? If you're on a credit meter and want to stick to your current tariff and simply change the way you pay – which can still result in significant savings – simply call your current supplier or do it through its website.
Most can't save much by switching gas
There are currently only two gas suppliers in Northern Ireland: Firmus Energy and SSE Airtricity. However, only some have the option of switching between these suppliers.
Whether you can switch depends on what area you're in, as supply in Northern Ireland is split into three regions:
- The Greater Belfast area. This covers the Greater Belfast, Larne and East Down areas. SSE Airtricity and Firmus offer gas in this region, so you can switch. SSE is currently £100s cheaper than Firmus, so it's worth checking if you can switch.
- The Ten Towns area. This covers Londonderry/Derry, Limavady, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Portstewart, Newry, Craigavon, Antrim, Banbridge and Armagh – gas is only supplied by Firmus, so you've no alternative.
- The West area. This is set to cover those in Artigarvan, Coalisland, Cookstown, Derrylin, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Magherafelt, Omagh and Strabane. Gas is fairly new to these areas, with only about 2,000 homes connected so far. Gas here is only supplied by SSE Airtricity.
Haggle or swap supplier to save on heating oil
Heating oil is the most popular heating fuel in Northern Ireland – more than two-thirds of households use oil rather than gas. Using and buying heating oil in Northern Ireland works in much the same way as it does in the rest of the UK. For full help, including brokers and comparison sites, see our Heating oil prices guide.
However, those on heating oil won't fully benefit from energy bill reductions this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee. That's because it's a discount on the rates people pay for mains gas. However, the Government has announced an additional £100 this winter for those on heating oil – though we don't yet know how or when this will be paid.
You'll still get the £400 energy bill support payment, as this will be paid to every home with an electricity connection. You'll also benefit somewhat through the Energy Price Guarantee, as the rates you pay for electricity will be reduced.
Heating oil prices
The heating oil market in Northern Ireland is not regulated. However the Consumer Council, along with the Northern Ireland Oil Federation (NIOF), has developed a 'customer charter' that sets out minimum standards of service for consumers. To find a distributor that follows this charter in your area, check the NIOF's directory.
When buying heating oil, it's worth trying a few different suppliers and haggling to find the best available price. Prices are typically quoted per litre for 300 litres, 500 litres and 900 litres, and the more you buy, the cheaper per litre it will be. Be aware though, that the price of heating oil is likely to go up in winter due to higher demand.
Here's an idea of what you're likely to pay, according to the Consumer Council:
Typical heating oil prices
| TABLE_CELL_STYLE | 300 LITRES | 500 LITRES | 900 LITRES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | £301 | £480 | £841 | ||||||
Correct as of 29 December 2022. Source: The Consumer Council. |
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Quick question
Extra support this winter from electricity and gas suppliers
This winter, extra support is being made available after the Utility Regulator, the Consumer Council, the Department for Communities, Department for the Economy, and gas and electricity suppliers in Northern Ireland agreed to new voluntary 'energy charter'.
Under the charter, energy suppliers have committed to a range of new measures, including contributing to a new hardship fund for households struggling to pay their bills, reducing debt repayment rates, and guaranteeing households won't be switched onto a pre-payment meter over the Christmas period, unless they request it. See the full energy charter for more info.
Energy efficiency grants and discounts
With energy prices at all-time highs, the Government has introduced a range of payments to help with the cost of living this winter. Some are available to all households, depending on how you use fuel, while others are only for those on certain benefits.
See our Struggling to pay your energy bills guide for the full rundown of the help available.
Energy efficiency can also help cut bills massively. There are various schemes on offer from suppliers and the Government – depending on your circumstances, you could get anything from a new boiler to better insulation, or a raft of other improvements.
Here are some of the main grants and offers available:
Affordable Warmth Grant. If your annual household income is less than £23,000, you could be eligible for a grant to install a range of improvements, from insulation to heating systems and controls, and even a full conversion from heating oil to gas heating. You can find out more on the NI Direct website.
- Boiler Replacement Scheme. This is open to everyone in non-rented households, with a total annual income of £40,000 or less and who has a boiler that is at least 15 years old. If you're eligible, you can get a grant of up to £1,000 to help pay for a condensing oil or gas boiler, to switch from heating oil to gas, or to switch to a wood pellet boiler. Find out more on the NI Housing Executive website, or check you're eligible by calling it on 0344 892 0900 or register by email.
- The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP). This is generally only open to low income households in Northern Ireland. It provides funding for energy efficiency measures, such as boiler upgrades, new LED lights, smart heating controls and draught proofing. You can check the full list of NISEP Schemes available, identify the scheme you're interested in and use the contact details to apply.
If you need advice on any of the energy efficiency schemes available in Northern Ireland, you can contact the Northern Ireland Energy Advice service online, or call freephone 0800 111 4455.
How to complain if things go wrong
First complain to your supplier. According to Northern Ireland's code of practice for the energy market, suppliers are required to resolve complaints within three months. We've listed the contact details for each supplier below.
Supplier contact details
| SUPPLIER | PHONE | OPENING HOURS |
|---|---|---|
| Budget Energy | 0800 012 1177 | Mon to Fri: 9am-7pm, Sat: 11am-3pm |
| Click Energy | 0800 107 0732 | Mon to Fri: 8am-8pm, Sat: 9am-4pm |
| Electric Ireland | 0345 600 5335 | Mon to Fri: 8.30am-7pm |
| Firmus Energy | 0330 024 900 | Mon to Thu: 9am-5pm, Fri: 9am-3.45pm |
| Power NI | 0345 745 5455 | Mon to Fri: 9am-5pm |
| SSE Airtricity | 0345 601 9093 | Mon to Fri: 8am-8pm |
You can try calling your supplier initially – though if you get nowhere, try sending a formal email or letter. If the provider doesn't resolve the complaint, or you're not happy with the response, raise it with the Consumer Council – it has legal powers to act on your behalf and investigate your complaint.
While the Consumer Council isn't an ombudsman and can't make a ruling on your complaint, it can advocate on your behalf and work with the supplier to help reach a resolution. Electricity companies are required to respond to the Consumer Council within 10 days – so you should hear back shortly after this.
If that doesn't work, or the Consumer Council was unable to deal with your issue to your satisfaction, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Utility Regulator. The regulator can investigate the dispute and issue binding decisions on each complaint.
Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
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