News, 8 October 2026
£63 off your electricity this winter. Here's what it's worth if you charge an EV.
Every eligible household in Northern Ireland is getting £63 off electricity, paid automatically from 6 October. I check every NI EV tariff against the supplier's own published rates each month, so I've worked out what that £63 buys in charging on each one. The short answer: about six full charges if you charge overnight, and less than half that if you don't.
The short version
- You don't need to do anything: your supplier applies it. No forms, no applications, not means-tested.
- Bill or keypad, it's the same £63: a credit on your account if you get a bill, extra credit on your next top-up if you have a keypad.
- For an EV, it's about six full charges overnight: roughly 354 to 366 units on a night rate, against 150 to 196 on a standard rate.
Scheme details from the Department for the Economy. Unit rates checked 23 September 2026 against each supplier's own tariff page and the Consumer Council's comparison table.
What the discount is
It's the Household Electricity Discount Scheme, run by the Department for the Economy. This year's £63 combines the first payment linked to the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation with support equivalent to the temporary VAT cut on energy bills in Great Britain. Around 860,000 NI households are due to get it.
If you pay by bill, your supplier credits £60 to your account before VAT is added, which is worth £63 in total. If you have a keypad meter, you get the same £63 as extra credit the next time you top up. Either way it comes through your electricity supplier, so if anyone phones or texts asking for bank details to “release” it, that isn't the scheme.
Further payments are planned for 2027 and 2028, with the amounts to be confirmed nearer the time. The part that matches Britain's VAT cut is committed only until March 2027, so don't count on next year's figure being £63.
What £63 buys in EV charging
The same £63, spent on the rate your car actually charges on. A full charge here means 60kWh, roughly a full battery for a lot of the cars on NI driveways. All rates include VAT.
| Tariff and rate | Per unit | Units for £63 | 60kWh charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share Energy Share EV, night | 17.19p | 366 | 6.1 |
| Click Energy Day & Night, night | 17.291p | 364 | 6.1 |
| Power NI EV Nightshift, night | 17.79p | 354 | 5.9 |
| Power NI standard (monthly direct debit) | 32.10p | 196 | 3.3 |
| SSE Airtricity standard | 40.79p | 154 | 2.6 |
| Budget Energy standard | 42.01p | 150 | 2.5 |
Night rates apply 1am to 8am in winter (Click Energy keypad: midnight to 8am). Standing charges are left out, since you pay them whether you charge or not. Full rate tables, payment tiers and standing charges are in our comparison of every NI EV tariff.
Why it doesn't change which tariff you should be on
The discount is flat. It isn't based on how much electricity you use, so it lands the same whatever tariff you're on and whenever you charge. It's a welcome £63, but it's a one-off. The table above shows where the money that repeats every month is: the same £63 goes more than twice as far at a night rate as at a standard one.
If you charge at home on a standard single rate, moving to a night rate is worth far more than this discount. Our guide to this year's price rises puts it at about £500 a year for a driver taking 2,000kWh from home. You'll need a day and night meter, and our guide to getting one fitted covers who arranges it with NIE Networks.
Keypad doesn't rule you out. Share Energy and Click Energy both sell their night-rate tariffs on keypad, and Click's keypad night window is the longest we've verified in NI. The full breakdown is in our guide to EV tariffs in Northern Ireland.
If you also heat with oil, the winter bill support guide on Compare Solar NI covers the oil support available this winter as well.
Make every unit a night unit
A night rate only helps if the car waits for it. We match you with up to three vetted NI installers who fit smart chargers scheduled to your tariff's night window from day one.
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- Scheduling set up for your tariff's night window
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The £63 electricity discount: common questions
Do I need to apply for the £63 electricity discount in Northern Ireland?
No. The Department for the Economy's Household Electricity Discount Scheme is applied automatically by your electricity supplier. There are no forms and it is not means-tested.
When will I get the £63?
Payments are expected from 6 October 2026. If you pay by bill, your supplier credits £60 before VAT, £63 in total, to your account. If you have a keypad meter, you get £63 of extra credit the next time you top up.
Is the £63 discount based on how much electricity I use?
No. It is a flat amount, not based on consumption, so a household charging an EV gets the same £63 as a household that uses very little electricity. It does not change which tariff is cheapest for you.
How much EV charging does £63 cover?
At the overnight rates on NI's EV and day and night tariffs, about 354 to 366 units, which is roughly six full charges of a 60kWh battery. On a standard single rate of 32p to 42p a unit, the same £63 covers only 150 to 196 units, about two and a half to three full charges.
Will there be another electricity discount next year?
The Department for the Economy plans further discount payments in 2027 and 2028, with the amounts to be confirmed before they are paid. The part of this year's payment that matches Britain's temporary VAT cut is committed only until March 2027.