Electricity Account Credit

It was announced in Budget 2024 that domestic electricity customers will get €450 off their electricity bills.

The energy credit will be paid in 3 instalments of €150. The payments will be made in the December 2023, January 2024 and March 2024 billing cycles.

The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is overseeing the scheme.

Text scam warning

A scam alert has been issued to warn people about receiving text messages that tell them to click on a link to claim an energy credit. These texts link to a site that looks like gov.ie.

The Government is not offering any such scheme and people are warned not to click on the link or enter any personal details.

The payment is automatic, and you do not need to apply for it.

The €450 credit was paid in 3 instalments of €150.

You get:

• The first credit between 1 December and 31 December 2023
• The second credit between 1 January and 29 February 2024
• The third credit between 1 March and 30 April 2024

The date you got your credit depends on the date that your supplier normally sends you your bill. The credit may not appear on your first bill during these payment periods, this depends on your individual billing cycle. Suppliers have information on their websites with the exact dates the credit is shown on customers’ bills.

You see a ‘credit line’ on your bill in the amount of €137.61 (this is €150 excluding VAT). The total payments are €412.84 across the 3 instalments.

It has the identifier ‘Government Electricity Credit 1, 2 or 3’ or an abbreviated version of this depending on your supplier (for example Govt. Credit). It must include “Government”, “Govt” or “Gov” and must state “1”, “2” or “3” to show which instalment you are getting.

You are eligible for the credit if you meet all these criteria:

• You are registered as either an urban domestic customer (classified as DG1) or a rural domestic customer (classified as DG2)
• You are registered with an electricity supplier in the Republic of Ireland and have a unique Meter Point Registration Number (MPRN) – you can find this number on your bill
• You do not have a low usage electricity account – see below.

Low usage threshold

Properties with very low levels of use will not automatically get the credits.

The low usage threshold is where you use less than 150kWh (kilowatt-hour) of energy a quarter between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.

The low usage threshold does not apply in the following cases:

• You are on, or are entitled to be on, the vulnerable customer register
• You have a hardship PAYG meter
• You have a microgeneration account

Can I get the credit for my holiday home?

The credit applies to every domestic electricity account that is not a low usage account. This means that if you have multiple homes in Ireland with a domestic electricity account you get the credit for each account

Your supplier contacts you by text, email or on your top-up note to tell you the credit has been applied to your account.

Most pre-pay electricity meters accept each of the €150 credits in full.

Your supplier should give you specific instructions on how to redeem your credits.

Hardship meters

If you have an older pre-pay meter that has a pre-pay limit, you may have to redeem each of your electricity credits over separate top-ups (vends), over the space of a few days.

To redeem your credits, you pay €10 towards your electricity. Your credit is automatically added to the top-up. You should allow one day between each €10 payment.

You need to repeat the process above for each of the 3 €150 credits.

In the past, households that had electricity supplied through a sub-meter were not eligible for energy credits. This is where a property is divided with one main meter and submeters linked to the primary MRPN (for example multi-unit complexes).

Under a separate new scheme called the Submeter Support Scheme, electricity providers will also provide energy credits to consumers on submeter accounts. Credits will be paid in 3 instalments of €150.

Yes, you can use the credits to pay off any debt you have on your electricity account.

The credits can't be used towards your gas bills. The scheme uses domestic electricity eligibility criteria because not every household has a gas connection. This way most households get help with their energy bills.

If you are a tenant in rented accommodation and you pay your landlord directly for your electricity (rather than the electricity provider), your landlord should pass the credit on to you.

If there is a dispute between you and your landlord, you should try to resolve this informally. If you cannot come to an agreement, you can contact the RTB’s free mediation service, where an independent mediator will help you reach an agreement. Or, you can apply for ‘adjudication’ with the RTB, where an independent adjudicator will look at all the evidence and make a decision about your case.

If you switch electricity supplier, you won’t receive the credit twice.

You switch between 29 November and 31 December 2023: The first credit comes from the supplier you were with on 29 November 2023.

You switch between 20 December 2023 and 29 February 2024: The second credit comes from the supplier you were with on 20 December 2023.

You switch between 28 February and 31 March 2024: The third credit comes from the supplier you were with on 28 February 2024.

A supplier can apply the credit to your closing bill or credit you back through the same method pay your bills.

Suppliers will have information on their websites with the exact dates the credit will show on their customers’ bills.

Bill pay customer: the first credit will be applied to your account in December. You should notice the credit on your next bill. Once you receive the bill, check for the credit. If it’s not there, contact your electricity supplier.

Prepay customer: contact your electricity supplier if you have not received the first credit by 31 December 2023.

You can find the contact details for your electricity supplier on your most recent bill or statement.

If there is a dispute

If you do not get the credit and want to log an objection with your electricity supplier, you must do this by 30 June 2024.

If you cannot resolve the issue with your supplier, you can contact the CRU’s Customer Care Team for help.

You can contact the CRU Customer Care Team on 1800 404 404 or email customercare@cru.ie.

The CRU has Frequently Asked Questions about the electricity account credit.