# Irish Tariffs and Arbitrage Summary

Date checked: 2026-04-13

## Core Risk

Arbitrage is real, but it is not broad. The best economics sit in a narrow smart-meter EV segment, while ordinary smart/night tariffs produce much thinner spreads. That means the product is not universally attractive across Irish homes.

**Claim:** Bord Gais's EV plan shows 7.45c/kWh in the 2am-5am EV window, 22.04c/kWh at night, 40.75c/kWh peak, and an annual standing charge of €325.52.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/home/ev-plan-comparison
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** The page explicitly compares the EV plan against standard smart and smart all-day plans.

**Claim:** Bord Gais's standard smart tariff on the same comparison page shows 19.66c/kWh at night, 32.42c/kWh peak, and an annual standing charge of €218.54.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/home/ev-plan-comparison
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** The EV plan is better only if the customer can actually exploit the 7.45c window often enough to offset the standing charge premium.

**Claim:** Energia's current EV Smart Drive Plus plan shows 11.03c/kWh charge-time, 51.08c/kWh peak, and €265.01 annual standing charge.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.energia.ie/about-energia/our-tariffs
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** This is the strongest current published spread in the scan, but it is still a supplier-specific plan, not a universal home battery market.

**Claim:** Electric Ireland's Home Electric+ Night Boost shows 9.94c/kWh night boost, 16.93c/kWh night, and 34.34c/kWh day, with rates displayed including VAT and a 5.5% discount.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.electricireland.ie/residential/electricity-and-gas/ev-night-boost
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** Electric Ireland also says the plan works with solar PV and solar batteries, but the spread is narrower than the best EV-style tariffs.

**Claim:** Community Power's Smart tariff shows 21.24c/kWh night, 39.84c/kWh peak, and €274.52 annual standing charge.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://communitypower.ie/tariffs/
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** This is materially weaker for pure arbitrage than the EV-style plans.

**Claim:** Smart meters now exceed 2 million installs in Ireland and cover more than four out of five households.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.esbnetworks.ie/about-us/newsroom/article/esb-networks-reaches-milestone-of-over-two-million-smart-meters-installed-nationwide-as-part-of-the-national-smart-metering-programme ; https://www.esbnetworks.ie/services/manage-my-meter/about-smart-meters
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** This widens the addressable smart-tariff market, but it also makes tariff comparison easier and increases competitive pressure on suppliers.

**Claim:** SEAI says smart meters record electricity use every 30 minutes.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.seai.ie/plan-your-energy-journey/for-your-home/smart-living/smart-meters-and-tariffs
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** Thirty-minute data is good enough for future dynamic tariffs, but it also means battery arbitrage must compete against finer-grained pricing.

**Claim:** Bord Gais says EV plans require a smart meter and that Pay As You Go customers are not eligible.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/home/help/electric-vehicle-ev-plans-explained
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** This is a customer-acquisition constraint. A meaningful chunk of the market cannot access the best arbitrage tariff class without switching meters or payment method.

**Claim:** Bord Gais says customers without an EV charger can still sign up for an EV plan, but the most benefit comes from charging an EV at home.
- **Confidence:** C1
- **Sources:** https://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/home/help/electric-vehicle-ev-plans-explained
- **Date checked:** 2026-04-13
- **Notes:** This weakens the pitch if the product is being sold as pure battery arbitrage rather than part of a broader electrification bundle.