How to switch electricity or gas supplier in Ireland

Most Irish households have had at least one letter this year announcing a price increase. Electric Ireland went up in July, Flogas, Pinergy and Yuno Energy announced increases between May and August, and SSE Airtricity, Bord Gáis Energy and Energia all raise prices in October. Switching is the one response that is fully in your hands, and the rules around it are simpler than the supplier letters make them look.

Who makes the rules

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) licenses every electricity and gas supplier in the Republic and sets the consumer protection rules they must follow. It does not sell energy and it does not run a comparison tool itself. Instead it accredits price comparison websites. Four sites currently hold that accreditation: bonkers.ie, switcher.ie, PowerToSwitch.ie and EnergySwitch.ie. The CRU says it vets them for “clear, independent and accurate information” and audits them on an ongoing basis.

Accreditation is voluntary. Other comparison services, including ours, operate legally without it, but you should know which is which. Switchly links to partner comparison services on our compare page and earns a commission if you switch through them. We do not claim CRU accreditation and we do not name a “best” supplier.

What you need before you start

The CRU’s switching guide lists the same few items every supplier will ask for:

• your MPRN (Meter Point Registration Number), an 11-digit number printed near the top of your electricity bill;
• your GPRN (Gas Point Registration Number) if you also switch gas, which is 7 digits;
• a current meter reading, or smart meter data if you have one;
• your annual usage and what you pay now, ideally in kWh and euro;
• the end date of any fixed contract, because leaving early can mean an exit fee.

If you are not sure how to read your bill, our bill guide shows where each of these numbers sits.

The switch, step by step

1. Check your usage and costs over the last year. A 12-month figure in kWh is far more useful than a single bill, especially in Ireland where winter bills can be twice the summer ones.
2. Ask your current supplier for a better deal. The CRU suggests this as a formal step, and it costs nothing. Suppliers often have cheaper plans for existing customers that they will not offer unless asked.
3. Compare. Use an accredited site or a comparison service and enter your real usage, your meter type (standard, day/night or smart) and your county.
4. Sign up with the new supplier, directly or through the comparison site. You do not need to contact the old supplier.
5. Give a meter reading on the switch date. The old supplier uses it for your final bill and the new one for your opening bill.

How long does it take? The CRU does not set a number of days. Its guide describes the switch being processed through the Meter Registration System Operator once your 14-day cooling-off period has closed, after which you get a welcome letter from the new supplier and a final bill from the old one. bonkers.ie says a switch usually completes within 5 to 10 days of correct details and can take up to four weeks in some cases. Put together, allow a few weeks from signing. Wrong or missing MPRN and GPRN numbers are the most common cause of delay.

Cooling-off: 14 days, sometimes 30

The CRU is clear: when you switch you have 14 days to change your mind and cancel without any penalty. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022, which came into force on 29 November 2022, the period extends to 30 days for certain contracts signed at a distance or off the supplier’s premises. The CRU also says a supplier “should never be pushy or rush you into a contract”. If a salesperson at the door or on the phone does, that is a reason to say no and compare in your own time.

Your supply and your entitlements

The meter, the cables and the network company (ESB Networks for electricity, Gas Networks Ireland for gas) do not change, so nobody needs to call to the house and the power stays on. You also keep entitlements attached to you rather than to the supplier: bonkers.ie notes that the fuel allowance continues after a switch. If you are registered with your supplier as a vulnerable customer, register again with the new one; the CRU says suppliers must make this free and easy. Our guide Is switching supplier safe? goes through the rest of what can and cannot happen.

Arrears and debt flags

Owing money does not automatically stop you switching. Electric Ireland’s published rules, which follow the CRU’s debt flagging process, say a flag is placed when a residential customer has arrears of €225 or more for at least 60 days from the bill due date. The new supplier can then accept or reject the switch. If it is rejected, you clear or agree a plan for the debt with your current supplier, the flag is lifted and you can try again. The process exists to stop “debt hopping”, not to trap people who are a few weeks behind.

Exit fees and fixed contracts

Standard variable plans can be left at any time. Fixed-term plans may carry an early exit fee, and the CRU’s guide tells you to check your contract end date before comparing. Weigh it plainly: an exit fee of €50 against a saving of €200 a year still leaves you ahead; the same fee against a saving of €40 does not.

Traps worth avoiding

Headline discounts. Many plans advertise a percentage off unit rates for the first year. Compare the estimated annual bill, not the discount, and note what happens after month 12.

Standing charges. This autumn several suppliers are raising standing charges as well as unit rates. SSE Airtricity’s electricity standing charge rises 6.1% and Energia’s by 5%. A low unit rate can be wiped out by a high daily charge in a small apartment.

Night and EV rates. If you charge a car or run storage heaters at night, check the night rate separately. Daragh Cassidy of bonkers.ie told RTÉ that Energia’s night rates rise 28% from 12 October, which changes the sums for anyone on a smart or EV plan.

Doorstep and cold calls. The CRU’s rules are specific. A sales agent at your door must show an ID card with their name, photo and the supplier’s details, and give you the CRU doorstep checklist before the pitch starts. Sales calls are allowed only between 9am and 9pm on weekdays and 9am and 7pm on Saturdays, never on Sundays, bank holidays or Christmas Eve. When you say you are not interested, they must stop, and if you ask not to be called again they must take you off their list. Never give your MPRN or bank details to someone who calls unannounced; ask for the offer in writing and compare it.

Complaints

Complain to your supplier first. If you are unhappy with the outcome, the CRU’s Customer Care Team offers a free dispute resolution service. It aims to resolve cases within 90 days, though it currently says investigations are taking longer. In a billing dispute, the supplier must pause collection of the disputed amount while the CRU investigates.

When switching pays

Daragh Cassidy of bonkers.ie told RTÉ in September that wholesale gas prices had doubled in a year and advised households to “compare prices and switch to a cheaper supplier” to offset this autumn’s increases. That is the practical rule: if you have not compared since your supplier’s increase letter arrived, do it before the new rates start. Use your own kWh figure, include the standing charge, check the night rate if it matters to you, and compare. If you are on a fixed plan that ends in the spring, set a free contract alert so the renewal does not happen by default.