Finding your information
How to tell how much electricity you are using
2 min read
Knowing how much electricity you are using is essential for getting the most accurate bills and understanding what tariffs are best for you. You can determine your usage from electricity bills, meter reading, and an ESB Networks online account.
Use your ESB Networks online account
By far the simplest and most reliable way to see your electricity usage is with an ESB Networks online account. If you have a smart meter installed it will periodically send usage data to the ESB as well as your supplier. You can view this data through your account.
With this online account you can view your usage data in a wide variety of ways. You can see daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly electricity usage. This can be further broken down in two ways:
- Time-of-use categories: Your usage in Day (8am - 5pm & 7pm - 11pm), Peak (5pm - 7pm), and Night (11pm - 8am) hours.
- 30-minute intervals: How much electricity has been used in 48 separate 30 minute periods.
Download your electricity usage
An added benefit of using the ESB Networks online account is that you can download a CSV file with your electricity consumption data. This can be used on price comparison sites like EnergySwitch.ie to give more accurate estimates of your electricity bills if you switch.
Taking readings from older meters
If you have an older mechanical electricity meter, either 24hr or day/night, you can compare regular meter readings to see your consumption. By comparing an older meter reading with your most recent one, you can see how much electricity has been used in that time.
Taking readings from smart meters
If your home has a smart meter installed you can use the different displays on the meter to see your total electricity consumption, as well as day, night, and peak usage.
By comparing current readings with previous ones, you can see how much electricity you have used in that time period.
Keep your old electricity bills
Every electricity bill you receive will tell you what your consumption was in that billing period. By comparing multiple electricity bills you can see what your combined usage is over a long period, like a year.
If you are on an electricity plan with multiple time-of-use tariffs like day, night, and peak hours, the bill will also show your usage for that time period.
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