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Distribution Service Guarantees
Guarantee One
The Network Repair Guarantee
Even with the best will in the world, faults will sometimes occur in our electricity networks and you may be without supply. If this happens, please let us know immediately. We'll do everything possible to restore your supply quickly - our aim is to restore supply within less than 4 hours in 95% of cases.
If you are without power for 24 hours after we were notified of the fault, you can claim €65 if you are a domestic customer or €130 if you are a business customer. You can claim an extra €35 for every additional 12 hours you are without power.
In exceptional cases such as storms or extensive disruption to electricity supplies, we cannot offer this guarantee. But we will always do everything we can to restore supply as soon as possible. To claim your payment under this guarantee, please contact us within one month of the supply failure.
Guarantee Two
The Planned Supply Interruption Guarantee
In our efforts to supply the best possible service, we often have to work on our own distribution network to improve it or to connect new customers. Such work may require us to interrupt your electricity supply.
But if such an interruption is necessary, we guarantee to give you at least 2 days notice unless you agree otherwise. If we fail to do this, domestic customers can claim €35, while business customers can claim €130. To claim your payment under this guarantee, please contact us within one month of the planned supply interruption.
Very short supply interruptions, and interruptions arising from network faults and third party actions, are exempt from this guarantee. We will make every effort to minimise the inconvenience in such cases.
Guarantee Three
The Main Fuse Guarantee
If you lose supply but notice that your neighbours still have power, the first thing to do is to check your own fuses and trip switch. Assuming everything is in order, it could be that the Main ESB fuse has failed. Again please contact us immediately.
Our guarantee means we will call on you, free of charge, within 3 hours if you call us anytime between 8.30 am and 11.00 pm. Calls after 11.00 pm are guaranteed to receive attention before 11.30 am the following morning. If we fail to meet these deadlines we will pay you €35.
Guarantee Four
The Meter Connection Guarantee
Our Meter Installation and Connection Guarantee applies where there is an existing supply of electricity at your premises.
ESB guarantees to have your meter installed within 3 working days for domestic customers or 5 working days for business customers. New connections require a valid ETCI Completion Certificate.
More complex or multiple metering requirements will be arranged by agreement. We will pay you €50 if we fail to meet this guarantee.
Guarantee Five
The Connection Quotation Guarantee
If you are building a new house or farm building, setting up a small business or renovating an older property, you need to send us a completed application form and certain information, such as a site map.
In such cases, we guarantee to send you a connection cost quotation within:
- 7 Working Days when no visit to your site is required
- 15 Working days when a visit to your site is required.
Connections to larger developments or connections over 100 kilowatts or Medium Voltage connections can require considerable planning input; however, we guarantee to provide a quotation within 90 working days.
If we fail to meet our quotation deadlines we will pay you €65 in the case of a domestic customer or €130 in the case of a large business customer.
Guarantee Six
The New Connection Guarantee
Making a connection to a new house or premises can involve significant planning and construction work. We make every effort to complete the connection to coincide with the completion by the builder of the new house or premises. You can help by making your application for connection as early as possible.
Our guarantee to you is that, provided you have applied and paid for the connection at least 10 weeks prior to the completion of your electrical installation, we will complete your new connection within 2 weeks of receipt of the ETCI Completion Certificate. If we fail to meet this connection guarantee we will pay you €65.
This guarantee is subject to the conditions in the letter of quotation having been met (e.g. wayleaves, ETCI Certificate, underground service duct ready) and there being no significant network reinforcement involved. In the case of housing schemes, where ETCI Certificates have been submitted by the builder, we will connect you within two weeks from the date you apply.
Guarantee Seven
The Voltage Complaint Investigation Guarantee
If you have a concern about the level of electricity voltage supplied, we guarantee to contact you within 10 working days either to tell you about our voltage improvement proposals or to arrange to visit you to carry out an investigation of the complaint. Where an investigation is required we will contact you within a further 10 days to advise you of the outcome.
If we fail to contact you within the guaranteed timeframe we will pay you €35.
Guarantee Eight
The Voltage Problem Resolution Guarantee
Where a problem with your voltage quality has been identified, we undertake to resolve that problem within 12 weeks, except in those cases where significant network reinforcement work is required.
If we fail to honour this guarantee, we will pay you €50.
Guarantee Nine
The Appointment Guarantee
If, at your request, we need to visit your premises, we will offer you either a morning appointment (up to 1pm) or an afternoon appointment (after 1pm)
It is a matter of honour with us to keep the appointments we make with you but sometimes it may not be possible to stick to the original arrangement. We will visit as agreed or contact you the day before the appointment should a problem arise. If we fail to meet this guarantee, we will pay you €35.
Guarantee Ten
The Refund Guarantee
Where we agree that you are entitled to receive a refund for any reason connected with your electricity connection, we guarantee to make the refund within 5 working days of agreeing the amount to be repaid.
If we fail to meet this guarantee, we will pay you €35.
Guarantee Eleven
The Settlement Guarantee
In the event of your achieving complaint resolution through use of the services of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) which involves a monetary payment, we guarantee to honour the financial settlement arrangements within 10 working days of your acceptance of the proposed resolution. If we fail to meet this guarantee, we will pay you €130.
Guarantee Twelve
The Payment Guarantee
ESB Networks aims to provide you with an ever-improving standard of service, and our Customer Service Guarantees are specifically designed to ensure this. In this Guide, we have detailed the payments we will make if we ever fail to meet these guarantees. In most cases you need not do anything as we will automatically make the payments along with our apologies.
But when we fail to meet guarantee or when (in the case of Guarantees 1 and 2) we have received a valid claim, we further guarantee:
- To send you a cheque within 10 working days, or
- If we fail to do this, we will pay you an additional €35.