If you are shopping for a gas tariff in Ireland, chances are you have already narrowed the field to two names: Flogas and Bord Gáis Energy. Both consistently rank among the cheapest gas suppliers for Irish households, both offer new customer discounts, and both have been competing directly for the same customers for years. So which one should you choose?
The honest answer is: it depends on your usage, and it changes regularly as both suppliers adjust their rates. Here is what you need to know to make the right call for your home.
The Irish Gas Market in 2026
Natural gas in Ireland is supplied by four active residential suppliers: Bord Gáis Energy, Flogas, SSE Airtricity, and Energia. Of these four, Bord Gáis Energy and Flogas are most frequently the cheapest options for a typical home — though SSE Airtricity can occasionally undercut both on certain tariff structures, so it is always worth running a full comparison across all four.
Bord Gáis Energy: Market Leader with Consistent Pricing
Bord Gáis Energy is Ireland's largest gas supplier by customer count and has been a household name for decades. Now owned by Centrica, the same company that runs British Gas in the UK, it brings significant scale to its Irish operations.
Strengths:
- Consistently competitive new customer unit rates
- Strong online account management
- Dual-fuel bundle available (electricity + gas under one account)
- Widely recognised brand with established customer service infrastructure
What to watch:
- Standard (non-promotional) unit rates after the first year can be significantly higher — like all suppliers, Bord Gáis rewards new customers more than loyal ones
- The dual-fuel bundle is only worth it if the combined rate beats having electricity and gas on separate supplier accounts — always compare both options
For a gas-heated home using 11,000 kWh of gas per year, Bord Gáis Energy is regularly within €20–40 of the cheapest option in the market.
Flogas: Strong Competitor with Irish Roots
Flogas has been supplying natural gas, LPG, and energy to Irish homes and businesses for over 40 years. Originally best known for LPG (cylinder and bulk tank gas), Flogas expanded into the natural gas and electricity markets and is now a full-service energy supplier.
Strengths:
- Competitive unit rates, particularly on promotional tariffs for new customers
- Irish-owned and operated, with a regional presence and customer service in Ireland
- Frequent promotional rates that can undercut Bord Gáis for specific usage bands
- Established track record with Irish homes and businesses
What to watch:
- Standard rates post-discount can be less competitive than Bord Gáis's standard tariff, so switching at discount expiry is even more important
- Fewer tariff options than Bord Gáis (fewer plan types), which simplifies but also limits choice
Head-to-Head: How They Compare
The challenge with comparing Flogas and Bord Gáis directly is that both suppliers adjust their rates regularly — sometimes monthly — and the "winner" can change based on your household's usage level. Because both the unit rate and standing charge matter, the cheapest option for a home using 8,000 kWh per year may not be the cheapest for one using 15,000 kWh.
To illustrate, here is the general shape of the comparison using a typical household figure:
For a home using 11,000 kWh of gas per year:
The annual cost formula is: (unit rate × 11,000) + (standing charge × 365)
At current promotional rates (mid-2026), both suppliers are typically within €15–€30 of each other at the 11,000 kWh level. Which is cheaper on any given day depends on the exact promotional rate each is running. This is why using a comparison tool matters — the winner is not always the same.
For lower-usage homes (under 8,000 kWh): The standing charge becomes a larger portion of the total bill. A supplier with a lower standing charge and slightly higher unit rate can win for lighter gas users.
For higher-usage homes (over 15,000 kWh): The unit rate dominates. Even a 0.5c/kWh difference in unit rate amounts to €75 per year at 15,000 kWh, so the supplier with the lower unit rate typically wins regardless of standing charge.
The Case for Switching Between Them
Because Flogas and Bord Gáis are so close in price, the optimal strategy is not loyalty to either — it is switching to whichever offers the better new customer rate at the time your current discount expires.
A household that switches to Bord Gáis this year, then to Flogas next year, then back to Bord Gáis the year after, will consistently access new customer rates rather than paying the standard post-discount tariff. Over five years, this approach can save several hundred euro compared to staying with the same supplier indefinitely.
SSE Airtricity Is Also Worth Checking
SSE Airtricity is a third competitor worth including in your comparison, particularly if you value green credentials or already have electricity with SSE and want to consolidate under a dual-fuel bundle. SSE Airtricity's gas rates occasionally undercut both Flogas and Bord Gáis, particularly during promotional periods.
Which Is Cheaper Right Now?
Rates change too regularly for a static article to give you an accurate answer. The only way to know which of Flogas, Bord Gáis, and SSE Airtricity is cheapest for your home right now — for your specific kWh usage — is to run a live comparison.
Enter your annual gas kWh (found on any recent bill), select Gas as the fuel type, and GoSwitch will rank all four active Irish gas suppliers by true annual cost for your usage level — unit rate and standing charge included, new customer discounts applied where available.