Bi-annual household electricity

Electricity Household Consumption Weighted Band Average

The bar graph in the top half of this panel shows the weighted band average (WBA) price in c/kWh for household electricity, in 6-month ‘semester’ periods. Semester 1 (S1) spans 01-JAN to 30-JUN, and Semester 2 (S2) spans 01-Jul to 31-DEC. The overlaid line graph (yellow) shows the 12-month moving average of that WBA price.

The WBA price is the best representative value for the average price experienced by consumers. It takes the prices experienced by electricity consumers from the DA consumption band (for low demand) to the DE consumption band (for high demand) and weights them against the relative market share of electricity consumption in each band.

The bar graph in the bottom half of this panel shows the semester-to-semester changes in price as a percentage. The overlaid yellow line graph (yellow) shows the 12-month moving average of that percentage change.

The consistent ‘sawtooth’ pattern observed in the semester-to-semester changes, where the S1 price is generally lower than the S2 price, arises because household electricity demand is higher in S1 than in S2, allowing for greater spreading of fixed costs components (like standing charges).

The different contributing elements to the overall WBA price can be explored using the drop-down menu on the top right corner. Users can select to view the WBA price in terms of:

• Base + NRTL + VAT
• Base + NRTL
• Base

Where the “Base” price includes network costs, and energy and supply costs. The “Base + NRTL” price additionally includes all non-recoverable taxes and levies (and any account credits), and the “Base+NRTL+VAT” price additionally includes value added tax.

Electricity Household Weighted Consumption Band Average with Price Component

The stacked bar graph in the top half of this panel shows the WBA price in c/kWh disaggregated into the following price components:

• Base price
• NRTL (Non-Recoverable Taxes and Levies)
• VAT

Typically, all price components are ‘positive’, which means they increase the total WBA price. However, since the NRTL component is also used to capture the effect of the ‘energy account credits’ support (2022 to 2025), they can be ‘negative’, which means they can act to decrease the total WBA price. The overlaid line graph (yellow) shows the 12-month moving average of the WBA price.

The stacked bar-chart in the bottom half of this panel shows the percentage share of each price component. Typically, the three price components sum to 100%, but when the NRTL component is ‘negative’, this can be skewed, because of ‘energy account credits’.

Electricity Household Weighted Consumption Band 12 Month Average with Bands

The six line graphs in the top half of this panel show the 12-month moving average price of the:

• WBA (thicker line)
• DA consumption band (< 1000 kWh)
• DB consumption band (1000 kWh to <2499 kWh)
• DC consumption band (2500 kWh to <4999 kWh)
• DD consumption band (5000 kWh to <14999 kWh)
• DE consumption band (>= 15000 kWh)

The stacked bar-chart in the bottom half of this panel shows the percentage market share of each consumption band by band by semester. Typically, the DC and DD bands account for approximately 80% of household electricity consumption.

Electricity Household Price with Consumption Band and Price Component Selection

The bar graph in the top half of this panel allows the different contributing elements to price of each consumption band can be explored using the drop-down menu on the top right corner. Users can select any consumption band (DA to DE), and view that consumption band’s price in terms of:

• Base + NRTL + VAT
• Base + NRTL
• Base

The overlaid line graph (yellow) shows the 12-month moving average of the consumption band’s price.

The bar graph in the bottom half of this panel shows the semester-to-semester changes in price of that consumption band as a percentage. The overlaid yellow line graph (yellow) shows the 12-month moving average of that percentage change. The consistent ‘sawtooth’ pattern observed in the semester-to-semester changes, where the S1 price is generally lower than the S2 price, arises because household electricity demand is higher in S1 than in S2, allowing for greater spreading of fixed costs components (like standing charges).

Electricity Household Price Component Selection with Consumption Band Selection

The stacked bar graph in the top half of this panel allows the price of the user-selected consumption band to be disaggregated into the following price components:

• Base price
• NRTL (Non-Recoverable Taxes and Levies)
• VAT

The stacked bar-chart in the bottom half of this panel shows the percentage share of each price component in that consumption band.

Data Download

This panel allows users to download the data underlying all the data panels on this webpage. Users can select their preferred 'price component' (including multiple components), 'consumption band' (including multiple bands), 'unit' (including kWh and PC / percentage) and zoom-in on a date-range that best suits their interest. The table will then show the corresponding biannual values. Users can download the table as follows:

• Click on the white space on the table below
• Select the small "Download" icon (rectangle with an arrow pointing down) at the bottom right of the panel
• Click on the "Data" icon (cylinder shape)
• In the new window, select the "Download" icon at the top right 

Interacting with the Data Panels

In many of the above data panels, users can interact and customise the data views to suits their needs.. In many cases, hovering the cursor over an element of a plot in a panel will invoke a ‘tool tip’ that provides numerical detail of the underlying element.

Users can download a panel as an image file (PNG), or its underlying data (CSV or XLSX crosstab) by clicking on the small "Download" icon (rectangle with an arrow pointing down) at the bottom right of the panel. Alternatively, users can customise and download the underlying data for all panels on this page, by using the Customisable Download panel.

Due to the detailed nature of the plots and tables, and how tool tips are optimised for a mouse, rather than a finger, this page is best viewed on a monitor rather than a smartphone.

Role and Value of Data

SEAI collect data from the licensed energy providers, rather than from bill-payers, on a biannual and annual basis. The data are collected under the EU-EPR (Statistics on Natural Gas and Electricity Prices Regulation 2016/1952), which defines when-and-how the price data needs to be collected and aggregated, to facilitate international comparison.

Data collected in the household electricity survey represents ~98% of household consumers. The prices are reported in c/kWh and according to the different bands of consumption.

One of the strengths of the Electricity and Gas Price Regulation is that it provides a rich dataset for analysis and comparison between EU countries. However, because the data is collected and presented in many consumption bands it is difficult to present a simple message on trends and comparison. One solution to this problem is to present weighted average prices. Along with prices for the different bands of consumption, these weighted average prices have been presented on this page.

Data Provenance and Conversions

The EU-EPR price data is based on supplier side data – it defines the ‘effective unit price’ of energy through revenue received by the supplier, divided by energy delivered by the supplier. The ‘effective unit price” is the best way of expressing the true cost of energy see Stat Chat - Credit Where Credit is Due | SEAI Blog | SEAI). The “Base + NRTL + VAT” price component shows this effective unit price. The base price includes network costs, and energy and supply costs. The NRTL (Non-Recoverable Taxes and Levies) includes all other taxes, minus VAT, and minus any relevant household energy credits for the period. Biannual price data for household electricity is collected in units of c/kWh. Prices here are presented in c/kWh.