Do you know how to cut your household electricity bill? UCD Energy Institute has developed the Energy Cost Calculator to help households to reduce their electricity costs and carbon emissions, while enabling research into energy use in Ireland.
If you have a smart meter installed, the free, online calculator could enable you to make big savings on energy costs, pushing down how much you need to spend on electricity, while helping to reduce your carbon impact, too, a key step to address the climate emergency.
With Ireland’s household electricity bills currently clocking in among the highest in Europe, it makes sense now to use electricity more wisely, both for the planet and for your pocket.
The Energy Cost Calculator can help energy consumers develop a smarter energy strategy, and the 2 million households with a smart meter in Ireland can now use it for free.
“UCD researchers developed the calculator so that it can use unique use information from smart meter data to quickly estimate exact energy use and potential savings,” explains Michael Noonan, sustainability demonstration research coordinator at UCD Energy Institute.
“We have made it easy for individuals to go online and find out how to make changes to cheaper tariffs based on their own patterns of use over time.”
Spot the patterns, reap the benefits
Once your smart meter is registered with ESB Networks – a process that takes minutes – and you have at least six months of usage data on your smart meter, you can reap the benefits of the Energy Cost Calculator.
You log on to esbnetworks.ie and download your “30-minute reading in kW” CSV file, then upload the data to www.energycostcalculator.ie and fill out an optional, short energy-behaviour survey.
The result? By looking at your unique energy use patterns and costs, the energy cost calculator gives you a range of cheaper tariffs and calculates how shifting your electricity use to different times of day can help you keep costs down over the longer term. This means you can make informed energy decisions and lessen the variability – and shock – of your bills.
“The cost calculator offers insights into your carbon impact, and it encourages steps you can take,” explains Noonan.
“It’s not about generic tips, but about showing how you can cut costs by shifting the way you use electricity. With smart tariffs, for example, you can save money and carbon by running certain appliances at off peak times, adjusting your day, night and peak usage, or making small changes to heating routines so you stay comfortable while spending less and wasting less.”
Fuel energy research
When you use the Energy Cost Calculator, you also get to contribute to ongoing energy research in Ireland that can inform sustainability, and develop new technologies and approaches to make Ireland a more energy sustainable and climate-friendly place.
“The idea behind the Energy Cost Calculator is twofold,” says Dr Arash Alavi, who developed the online calculator when he was a Senior Energy Policy Researcher at UCD.
“Developed alongside the smart meter roll-out across Ireland, it gives householders personalised electricity cost comparisons based on their actual consumption and solar generation, while survey results provide researchers with a valuable source to analyse domestic energy behaviour and the uptake of low-carbon technologies, giving policymakers evidence to support Ireland’s transition to Net Zero.”
Alavi, who is now a senior generation planner with ESB Networks, sees how the Energy Cost Calculator’s approach aligns with Ireland’s Climate Action Plan and supports national targets for reducing energy emissions and demands.
“We need evidence and research to inform Government incentives and retrofitting schemes, and energy usage is a key piece of the puzzle here,” he says.
Ease of use
The Energy Cost Calculator is not the only tool that can help you reduce your energy costs, but it has the advantage of being not-for-profit and ad free, according to Noonan.
“There are commercial sites where you can upload your smart meter data and get recommendations about suitable tariffs, but there you are met with online ads, which can be frustrating,” he says. “And other online tools might ask you to download files for analysis.”
“It’s quick, easy and your usage patterns help not only you but energy research too,” says Noonan, “And users find the tool both informative and simple to use.”
South Dublin County Council (SDCC) recently hosted a lunch and learn event on UCD’s Energy Cost Calculator at County Hall.
“Equipping people with knowledge and awareness with such detail of their energy use, was a fun and eye-opening workshop, giving everyone in attendance food for thought on how to manage their energy usage,” says Gary Tyrell, climate action officer at SDCC.
“This initiative is a great example of how we can empower our residents to make informed decisions about their energy consumption. The feedback from the public and our staff in attendance has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Emer Conway, who works as a community energy mentor in Kildare with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), sees the Energy Cost Calculator as an “invaluable tool” to support the Sustainable Energy Community mentoring programme.
“It gives energy users the opportunity to understand and assess their energy use better, so that they can make more informed decisions about how they use energy and what energy they use,” she says.
“This is central to the vision and focus areas of the SEAI – empowering people to use energy in a better way whether it’s in their home, business or community. So, whether a community member is thinking about building energy upgrades, using smarter appliances or just cutting costs, the energy calculator provides the basis for this by making real time data available in a user-friendly way. This gives confidence and comfort to those beginning their journey towards reducing their energy costs and carbon footprint.”
Take a quick look at a video explaining how the Energy Cost Calculator works.
Look to an energy-efficient future
UCD Energy Institute will now build on the success to date of the Energy Cost Calculator, according to UCD Energy Institute director, Dr Terence O’Donnell.
“Our researchers are exploring ways to integrate more data into the tool, and how we can partner with organisations and wider communities to unlock cost and energy savings at scale,” he says.
“Smart meter data is invaluable to both citizens and researchers, but it is often underutilised because many people don’t know how to use it to their advantage. Being part of a university means we can also collaborate with our social science colleagues, who work closely with a wide network of non-profit organisations that can help us broaden our impact and engage communities more effectively. We want to connect with as wide an audience as possible, including those who may not usually engage with energy choices but could be missing out on significant savings. Our aim is to make it easy for everyone to take control of their energy costs, while carrying out the research that helps us all move towards a more sustainable future.”
The Energy Cost Calculator project developed by the UCD Energy Institute, is supported by the Higher Education Authority and SEAI. You can access the Energy Cost Calculator at energycostcalculator.ie.