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Frequently Asked Questions
Select the subject and topic you wish to enquire about.
Select Subject:
- Meter Reading
- I want to move a meter
- I am moving into a new house in a housing estate
- I am building a new house on a single site
- My electricity is not working
- I have received notice of a planned electricity interruption
- I want to get an electricity line moved
- A tree is interfering with an electricity line
1. Meter Reading
Q. How often do you read my electricity meter?
A. There is a two-monthly cycle for meter reading i.e. 6 readings per year. Four of these are actual readings taken by an ESB Networks' representative who calls to your home. The other two readings are estimates based on your previous usage patterns.
Q. What if I am not at home when the Meter reader calls?
A. If you are not at home when the Meter Reader calls, he/she will leave an information postcard in your letterbox.
This card explains the options you have for submitting a meter reading over the phone or online. To find out more, visit the page 'Submit a Meter Reading' on this site.
If you submit a reading within 24 hours of receiving a card, it will be used by your Electricity Supplier to calculate your next bill. Otherwise an estimated reading will be used.
Q. How can I read the meter myself?
A. Reading a meter is like reading the mileage indicator on a car. To find out how to read your meter, visit the page 'How to read a meter' on this site.
2. I want to move a meter
Q. I am about to build an extension to my house. I have been advised that the meter will have to be moved. How do I do this?
To find out how to get a meter moved, visit the page 'Move a meter location' on this site.
Q. Can you recommend an electrician in my area?
A. We don't recommend individual electricians. However we strongly recommend that you use an electrician who is a member of a regulatory body. You can contact regulatory bodies such as ECSSA or RECI and they will advise you. Alternatively, you can check the Golden Pages. Electricians generally state in their ads that they are registered with a regulatory body.
Read about ECSSA or RECI
Q. I am able to do the wiring alterations myself. However, I cannot give you a wiring cert. What do I do?
A. You will have to order an Inspection from one of the Regulatory Bodies. There will be a cost involved. More details can be obtained from ECSSA or RECI.
The wiring certificate affirms that the wiring has been done to the required standard and it therefore provides assurance that your wiring installation is safe.
Read about the certification process
Q. Do I send the wiring certificate back with the payment?
A. No. Don't wait for the wiring to be completed before making payment. Your electrician will submit the wiring certificate electronically through his/her registered body.
3. I am moving in to a new house in a housing estate
Q. I am about to move in to a new house in a housing estate. What do I do to get the electricity connected?
A. To find out how to get connected, visit the page 'Moving into a house in a new housing scheme' on this site.
Q. How long can I expect to wait before the supply is live?
A. Most connections are completed within 10 working days of making a request, provided all of the electricity infrastructure has been installed and the wiring cert. has been registered.
Q. How will I know when the electricity is live?
A. Your electrical contractor or builder will know, so check with him/her. Alternatively, you can ring us. Call 1850 372 757
Note: The builder's electrician will switch on the electricity in your new home once we have made the connection point live.
Be sure to have your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) at hand. This is a unique reference number that identifies your connection point to the electricity network.
Q. Is there a charge to me for connecting my new home?
A. No. The charge for the connection is built into the cost of your house.
We have applied an overall charge to your builder for connecting all the houses within the estate.
Q. What about the electricity bill? How do I get a bill in my name?
A. ESB Networks is only responsible for the physical connection of electricity to your house. You will need to contact an electricity supply company to set up an account for billing. View a list of all electricity suppliers
4. I am building a new house on a single site
Q. What do I need to do to get a new house connected on a single site, i.e. not part of a housing estate?
A. To find out how to get connected, visit the page 'Single house being built on a site' on this website.
Q. How long can I expect to wait before the supply is live?
A. Most connections are completed within 12 weeks of the new connection payment being received by ESB Networks, provided (i) all of the electricity infrastructure has been installed and (ii)the wiring cert. has been registered by the electrical contractor two weeks before the proposed connection date.
Q. What about the electricity bill? How do I get a bill in my name?
A. ESB Networks is only responsible for the physical connection of electricity to your house. You will need to contact an electricity supply company to set up an account for billing.
View a list of all electricity suppliers
5. My electricity is not working
Q. The electricity in my area is not working. Who do I contact to find out when it will be back?
A. Call 1850 372 999 for updates on electricity outages. Outages may arise due to either network faults or the need to do essential planned maintenance. On average urban faults are restored within 2 hours and rural faults within 4 hours. In the case of essential planned maintenance, you will have received a postcard notifying you at least two days in advance.
Q. The sockets in the house are not working. Do I call ESB Networks?
A. No. This is not something for which ESB Networks is responsible.
The first thing you should do is to check your tripswitches or fuses. All the tripswitches will be in the "up" position if everything is working OK.
If the tripswitch controlling the sockets is in the "down" position, simply push it back to the "up" position. The power should then return as normal.
If it trips again you should check to see if there is something overloading the circuit, e.g. too many devices plugged into the circuit.
Older houses may have fuseboards. The relevant fuse will have to be replaced if it has blown. Fuses can be purchased in electrical shops, hardware stores and some supermarkets.
Q. I've checked the tripswitches/fuses and everything is ok. However, the sockets are still not working. What do you suggest I do?
A. If you suspect the problem with the sockets is within your own home, you should contact an electrician to investigate.
However, if you notice that the lights in your house are also not working, it may be that the main fuse has blown. In that case you should contact ESB Networks (Call 1850 372 999).
Call 1850 372 999
Note, there may be a call-out charge for this service.
Q. Can you recommend an electrical contractor in my locality?
A. We don't recommend electrical contractors. However you can contact regulatory bodies such as ECSSA or RECI and they will advise you. Alternatively, you can check the Golden Pages. Electricians generally state in their ads that they are registered with a regulatory body.
Read about ECSSA or RECI
Q. Why can't ESB Networks come out to fix it? I'm willing to pay.
A. ESB Networks is only liable for the maintenance of your electricity network up to (and including) your meter. Any installations within your home are your own responsibility.
6. I have received notice of a planned electricity interruption
Q. I have been advised that ESB Networks will be interrupting my electricity supply over the next few weeks. How will I know the exact date and time?
A. You will receive notification by post at least two days before the planned interruption. It will tell you the date we will be switching off the power and the approximate start and finish times.
Q. Will I be compensated for this planned electricity interruption?
A. We do not compensate customers for interruptions.
It is a feature of electricity networks that lines have to be switched out from time to time in order to carry out maintenance. We appreciate the inconvenience that interruptions cause to our customers and we try wherever possible to carry out work while the lines are live. However, on some occasions, lines have to be switched out for safety reasons as it would be otherwise too dangerous for our network repair crews to work on them.
While we do our best to minimise these interruptions, they are necessary to ensure a better electricity service in the long run.
Q. Will the contents of my freezer defrost during the electricity outage?
A. It is generally accepted that freezer contents will remain safe for up to 24 hours without electricity. Typical interruptions do not last for more than 8 hours. Therefore, the contents of the freezer should remain perfectly safe, so long as the freezer is not opened while the power is off.
Q. Are planned electricity interruptions confined to weekdays only?
A. Due to our tight schedules, planned interruptions can occur on any day of the week.
Q. Will power be restored at the time shown on the notification I receive?
A. The times on your notification are approximate only. While the vast majority of planned interruptions are completed within the hours indicated on your notification, the safety of our staff and customers has to get priority.
There will be occasions when the work can take longer due to technical or safety reasons. As such, you should regard electricity as being live at all times during an outage. It could be restored at any moment.
As such, you should regard electricity as live at all times during an outage. It could come back at any moment.
Q. There is someone in the house who is dependent on electricity for medical reasons. Will you supply a generator for the duration of the planned interruption?
A. We do not supply generators in such situations. We strongly advise that you make alternative arrangements for the duration of the planned outage.
If at all possible you should consider moving the person to another location for the likely duration of any planned outage. As we give a minimum of two days notice, this will be an option in some cases. If you have any concerns, you should contact a doctor or medical advisor and, if necessary, make appropriate arrangements based on the medical advice obtained.
Q. The electricity supply has not been restored when expected. Whom do I contact to find out when it will be back?
A. Call 1850 372 999 for updates on electricity outages.
7. I want to get an electricity line moved
Q: ESB Networks wires are attached to the chimney of my house. How do I get them moved in order to carry out repair work?
A: To get these wires moved, contact us a few weeks before you plan to commence work. Once payment has been received by us, we will then make the alteration within 10 working days.
Call 1850 372 757
Note: a charge of €380 (incl.VAT) must be paid before these alterations can proceed, (cost amount correct as of October '07)
If this alteration is only temporary, you must contact us again when the repair work has been completed. We will then arrange to restore the service to the original position. There is no additional charge for this second visit.
Q: How do I pay and to where?
A: As soon as you phone us and request work to be done, an invoice will immediately issue to you for the appropriate amount. Payment can be forwarded by cheque, bank draft or postal order to ESB Networks. Full address details will be on the invoice.
See a list of all ESB Networks' charges
8. A tree is interfering with an electricity line
Q. What do I do about trees that will soon interfere with an overhead electricity line?
A. Contact us and we will arrange to have the trees cut back.
Call 1850 372 757
We will then arrange for an inspection by a tree cutting crew and, if it is necessary, we will carry out the work within 3 or 4 weeks.
Q. Will I be charged for any trees that need to be cut?
A. No, there is no charge for essential tree cutting.
Q. Can I cut them back myself?
A. Under no circumstances should you attempt to cut them yourself. You could come in contact with the live wires and might be electrocuted! Please leave the job to the experts who are used to dealing with live wires when cutting trees.
Q. Will you cut down the trees completely of will you just trim the branches back?
A. Under normal circumstances we will just trim the branches back a suitable distance. However, if the trees are in an unstable condition and there is a real danger they could fall on the line we will cut them down completely
Q. What happens to the timber from the trees?
A. Our tree cutting contractors will cut up the branches into transportable lengths and place them in a suitable area for storage for you if you wish. Otherwise they will dispose of the timber themselves.
Q. I have some expensive specimen trees and I would like my own tree surgeon to cut them back. Is this allowed?
A. Certainly. However, you should still Contact Us beforehand so that we can visit the site and see what is involved. We may have to temporarily disconnect the lines to facilitate the work.
Note, if you employ a tree surgeon ESB Networks will not pay his/her costs.