What is a smart tariff?
A smart tariff is an electricity plan where the unit rate changes depending on when you use electricity. Instead of one flat rate all day, you may have separate day, night, peak, weekend, or EV charging rates.
Smart tariffs are designed to reward households that can shift usage away from busy, expensive periods and into lower-cost windows.
Smart meter vs smart tariff
A smart meter and a smart tariff are not the same thing. A smart meter is the physical meter installed by ESB Networks. A smart tariff is a pricing plan you agree with an electricity supplier.
Getting a smart meter installed does not automatically change your tariff. Any tariff change is agreed between you and your supplier.
Day, night, peak, and weekend rates
Most smart plans split electricity into time bands. The night rate is usually cheaper, the peak rate is usually more expensive, and the day rate sits somewhere in between.
Some plans add weekend discounts or special EV charging windows. These can be useful, but only if your actual usage lines up with the cheap periods.
- Day rate: usually applies across normal daytime hours outside peak.
- Peak rate: often applies during busy evening demand periods.
- Night rate: usually the cheapest broad window.
- Weekend rate: useful only if you use enough electricity at weekends.
- EV rate: useful if your car charges during the dedicated cheap window.
Who should consider a smart tariff
Smart tariffs can suit households that can move meaningful usage into cheaper hours. EV owners, homes with timers, flexible laundry routines, and people who can avoid peak periods are stronger candidates.
They can also suit households that want better visibility of usage and are willing to adjust routines based on their bill data.
Who should be cautious
Be careful if your household uses most electricity during the evening peak. Cooking, heating, showers, laundry, and entertainment all landing in peak hours can make a smart tariff less attractive.
A standard flat tariff or night saver plan may be simpler and cheaper for some homes. The right answer depends on the whole bill, not a single cheap rate.
How to compare smart tariffs properly
Compare smart tariffs using your expected usage in each time band. If you do not know the split, start with recent smart meter data or a realistic household routine.
Then include standing charge, discount duration, VAT, and what the plan rolls onto after the introductory period ends.
- Estimate annual kWh usage.
- Split usage across day, night, peak, weekend, and EV windows where relevant.
- Include standing charge and discount expiry.
- Compare against a standard tariff and a night saver tariff.
- Set a reminder to review before the discount ends.
The Sortd angle
Sortd helps by treating a smart tariff as an ongoing fit check. If your usage shifts, your discount expires, or provider rates change, the plan that looked best at sign-up may need another look.