Around 40% of Irish households use both electricity and natural gas. For these homes, the question isn't just "which electricity tariff is cheapest?" — it's whether to use the same supplier for both fuels and whether a combined dual fuel deal saves more than using the cheapest individual tariffs from two different suppliers.
This guide explains how dual fuel pricing works in Ireland, which suppliers offer it, and how to work out the best deal for your home.
What Is a Dual Fuel Tariff?
A dual fuel tariff is a combined electricity and gas plan from a single supplier. In exchange for having both fuels on one account, the supplier typically offers a discount on one or both fuels — usually expressed as a percentage off the unit rate or standing charge.
Not all Irish suppliers offer dual fuel. Currently, the suppliers covering both electricity and gas include:
- Electric Ireland — electricity and gas, dual fuel discount available
- Bord Gáis Energy — electricity and gas, combined account options
- SSE Airtricity — electricity and gas, dual fuel bundle
- Energia — electricity and gas
Pinergy offers electricity only. Flogas is primarily gas (some electricity products). Community Power is electricity only.
Dual Fuel Discounts: How Much Do They Actually Save?
Typical dual fuel discounts in Ireland are 5–10% off one or both fuels when you combine them with the same supplier. On an average household using 4,200 kWh of electricity and 11,000 kWh of gas per year:
- Electricity bill: ~€1,500/year
- Gas bill: ~€900/year
- Combined: ~€2,400/year
- A 7% dual fuel discount saves approximately €168/year
However, this saving only materialises if the supplier's base rates are already competitive. A 7% discount on an expensive base tariff may still be more expensive than a competitor's standalone tariff with no bundling discount.
The Critical Comparison: Bundle vs Best Individual Tariffs
The correct way to evaluate a dual fuel deal is:
- Calculate the annual cost of the dual fuel bundle (after discount) for your specific usage
- Calculate the annual cost of the cheapest electricity tariff + cheapest gas tariff from any suppliers
- Compare (1) vs (2)
In practice, Irish energy prices change frequently enough that the dual fuel bundle is sometimes better and sometimes worse than separating the fuels. There is no permanent answer — it depends on current offers.
Convenience vs Cost: The Case for Bundling
Beyond price, there are practical reasons to have one supplier for both fuels:
- Single bill: One combined monthly or bi-monthly statement instead of two
- Single direct debit: Simplified household accounting
- Single customer service contact: If there is a billing issue, one call resolves both
- Loyalty discounts: Some suppliers offer additional discounts for long-standing dual fuel customers (though these rarely offset the cost of not switching annually)
For households where administrative simplicity is genuinely valued, a bundled dual fuel deal can make sense even if it is marginally more expensive than two separate cheapest tariffs.
Typical Irish Household Energy Usage
For comparison purposes, SEAI's standard reference usage for an average Irish household:
| Fuel | Annual usage | |------|-------------| | Electricity | 4,200 kWh | | Gas (central heating + hot water) | 11,000 kWh | | Gas (cooking only) | 1,100 kWh |
Actual usage varies significantly by house size, insulation, occupancy, and heating behaviour. Larger detached homes in rural areas often use 1.5–2× these figures.
How Supplier Discounts Are Structured
Irish energy discounts typically come in two forms:
Percentage off unit rate: The standing charge stays the same, but you pay less per kWh used. Favours high-usage households.
Percentage off total bill: Applied to the complete bill including standing charges. More straightforward to calculate.
Some suppliers split the discount differently across electricity and gas — for example, a larger discount on gas (where competition is more intense) and a smaller discount on electricity.
Always check whether the discount applies for a fixed initial period (typically 12 months) and what the renewal rate will be.
Switching Both Fuels at Once
Switching both electricity and gas simultaneously is administratively simple — most suppliers accept a combined sign-up for dual fuel in a single online process. You will need:
- Your MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) — on your electricity bill
- Your GPRN (Gas Point Reference Number) — on your gas bill
- Your current supplier names
- Bank details for direct debit
The transfer for each fuel happens on the standard timelines: electricity switches in approximately 21 days, gas switches in approximately 5 working days. Both fuels continue to work normally throughout — there is no interruption.
When to Separate the Fuels
Consider using different suppliers for electricity and gas when:
- The cheapest electricity tariff is from a supplier that doesn't offer gas (e.g., Community Power, Pinergy)
- One fuel has a significantly better deal available from a supplier that doesn't offer the other fuel
- The combined saving from two best-in-class individual tariffs clearly exceeds any bundle discount
Run both calculations before deciding. The numbers change every few months as suppliers update their offers.
Summary
- Dual fuel bundles offer 5–10% discount but require comparing total annual cost against separate best tariffs
- Electric Ireland, Bord Gáis Energy, SSE Airtricity, and Energia all offer dual fuel
- Convenience of a single bill and direct debit is a legitimate reason to bundle even at a small premium
- Switching both fuels simultaneously is straightforward and takes one online sign-up
- Compare all Irish dual fuel tariffs →