Government Electricity Credit 2022/2023

Family in hallway

A scheme was approved by the government to credit all residential electricity customers with €600, in three €200 (incl. VAT) instalments. This applied to both bill pay and prepay customers. 

The credits were applied to customer's accounts in three payment periods:

  • the first occurring between 1 November 2022 – 31 December 2022
  • the second occurring between 1 January 2023 – 28 February 2023
  • the third occurring between 1 March 2023 – 30 April 2023.

We've applied the third credit to all residential electricity customer’s accounts.

The credit have been applied to customers' accounts automatically. Customers with an online account will be able to see the credit in the 'Bills and Transactions' tab on their account dashboard. If you don’t have an online account, you can register here. Customers can also see the credit on their next bill after the credit has been applied.

This measure has been introduced to offset the impact of rising energy costs. For more information, see gov.ie. 

Direct Debit Customers

Please note that your direct debit payment will be taken as normal on the payment due date, as stated on your bill and your online account.

If the €200 government credit was applied to your account between your bill being issued and your direct debit being taken, the €200 credit won’t be applied to your current direct debit, as we’ve already applied to the bank for the full amount and are unable to change this. In this instance, the government credit will be used towards your next bill.

We're here to help

We've applied the third credit to all residential electricity customer’s accounts. The credit has been applied to customers' accounts automatically.

For more information, please visit the Help section of our site.

Eligibility for Government Electricity Payment 

All Bord Gáis Energy customers with a residential electricity account (including Pay As You Go customers), as of 27 February 2023, will be eligible for the third credit.

You don’t need to sign up or register to receive the electricity payment, we’re automatically applying the credit to your account and you’ll be able to see the payment on your next bill.

Pay As You Go (PAYG) customers

When your credit is available, Bord Gáis Energy will send you an SMS. If we don't have your mobile number, we'll send you a letter. For more information on how to claim your credit, please see below. This will be provided in two separate payments.

Gas customers

Only residential electricity customers are eligible for the payment, as per Government guidelines. If you have a gas and electricity account with us, your electricity account will be credited with the payment.

Business customers

As per Government guidelines, only residential electricity customers are eligible for the payment.

Bord Gáis Energy logo

Pay As You Go (PAYG) customers

If you're a PAYG customer, we’ll send you an SMS when your credit is available. If we don't have your mobile number, we'll send you a letter.

The first €200 credit was made available for PAYG customers in November. The second €200 credit was made available in January.

To access the third €200 credit, you’ll need to top up twice over the space of a few days. There are two different scenarios regarding how much credit can be received on the first top up. 

Scenario 1 below applies where your first top up is on 2 March 2023: 

  • Top-up 1: Purchase a top-up of €10, and €100 of the government credit will be applied for a total top-up of €110.  
  • Top-up 2: Purchase a top-up of €10, and €100 of the government credit will be applied for a total top-up of €110.  

Scenario 2 below applies where your first top up is on or after 3 March 2023: 

  • Top-up 1: Purchase a top-up of €10, and €165.50 of the government credit will be applied for a total top-up of €175.50.   
  • Top-up 2: Purchase a top-up of €10, and €34.50 of the government credit will be applied for a total top-up of €44.50.   

It’s spread out this way as there are limitations regarding the application of credit on some legacy prepay meters, due to their age and monetary limits. 

You can easily top up your PAYG meter online here or at any Payzone outlet. 

Man holding sign reading "pay as you go"

Level Pay customers

If you are a Level Pay customer, the Government credit will be applied to your next bill. 

As a Level Pay customer, the cost of your energy usage is spread evenly across the year with monthly payments based on expected electricity usage over a 12-month period. You currently pay the same amount each month by direct debit. After the government credit is applied, your monthly payments will continue as normal, but rest assured the credit will be reflected in your account balance.

The benefit of the government credit will be across 12 months, rather than just your next payment.

Your monthly payment amount is reviewed regularly to ensure that your payments cover your bills. The account review takes into consideration current unit rates, your energy usage and your account balance. You’ll be able to see any changes to your future payments on your bill and on your online account.

Customers with an online account will be able to see the government credit in the 'Bills and Transactions' tab on their account dashboard. Customers can also see the credit on their next bill after the credit has been applied.

Want to know more?

For more information on Level Pay and how it works, visit our help section. 

PSO Payment

In addition to the government credit, residential electricity customers will also start receiving PSO payments from March.

For the 2022/23 payment period, monthly PSO payments will be paid to electricity customers from 1 March 2023. Residential customers will receive a monthly payment of €12.73 to their electricity account, for a period of seven months.

You don’t need to do anything to receive the payment - the PSO payment will be reflected on your  bill. The date you receive your payment will depend on your billing cycle. If you haven’t received your first PSO Payment by 1 May 2023, please contact us.

For PAYG customers, the PSO payment will be credited daily to your prepayment meter. This will be implemented by deducting the PSO payment from the daily electricity standing charge from 1 March 2023, until 30 September 2023.

For more information on the PSO payment, see What is the PSO payment?