The two causes of a power cut
When the lights go out in your home, the cause is almost always one of two things: a fault on the ESB Networks distribution system serving your area, or a fault within your own electrical installation. Knowing which it is before you do anything else saves time, prevents unnecessary call-out charges, and helps you stay safe.
ESB Networks owns and operates the poles, cables and transformers that bring electricity to your property boundary. Everything from the meter inward is your installation, and is your responsibility to maintain. A registered RECI electrician must carry out any fault-finding or repair work on your side of the meter. ESB Networks deals with everything on theirs, at no charge to you.
Check ESB Networks before anything else
The fastest way to determine whether the fault is with ESB Networks is to visit powercheck.ie on your mobile phone (it will still have data even if your home broadband is down). Enter your address or Eircode and the map will show any registered outage in your area. If an outage is listed, the fault is on the network side and there is nothing for you to do except wait for restoration.
You can also call ESB Networks directly on 1800 372 999, which is free and operates 24 hours a day. The automated system will tell you whether there is a known outage at your address. If you want to speak with an agent, stay on the line and they can register your property as affected, which helps their engineers prioritise restoration in your area.
A quick additional check: look out the window and see whether your neighbours' lights are on. If the whole street is dark, it is almost certainly an ESB Networks fault. If your neighbours have power and you do not, the fault is internal to your property and you need to check your consumer unit.
Note: ESB Networks does not charge for reporting or investigating an outage on their network. Their target restoration time is within 4 hours for most faults under normal conditions. Major storms such as Ophelia or Storm Babet caused multi-day outages in some areas, and ESB Networks works from a priority list that restores the greatest number of customers first.
Confirmed it is an internal fault?
If powercheck.ie shows no outage in your area and your neighbours have power, you need a RECI-registered electrician. Find one in your county now.
Find an electrician in your countyWhat to check in your consumer unit
Your consumer unit is the grey or white box usually mounted in the hall cupboard or utility room. It contains the main switch, one or more RCDs, and a row of circuit breakers. Here is what to look for and what to do safely.
Find the consumer unit
In most Irish homes built after 1990 the consumer unit is in the hall cupboard. Older properties may have it in the kitchen, garage, or under the stairs. Use the torch on your phone to locate it safely.
Look for tripped breakers
Circuit breakers that have tripped will be in the OFF or middle position rather than fully ON. RCDs that have tripped often have a visible test button that has popped outward. These are the most common cause of a full or partial loss of power.
Reset safely in sequence
Switch all circuit breakers to OFF first. Then turn the main switch ON. Then turn each circuit breaker ON one by one. If one trips immediately, that circuit has a fault. Disconnect all appliances on it before retrying.
If one circuit keeps tripping
A circuit that trips immediately when you reset it has a fault, such as a short circuit or an overloaded socket. Unplug every appliance on that circuit and retry. If it still trips with nothing connected, there is a wiring fault that requires a RECI electrician.
If the main switch trips
If the main switch or RCD trips immediately when you try to reset it, there is a significant fault on the installation. Do not keep resetting it. Switch everything off and call a RECI-registered electrician. Repeated resetting can cause further damage.
Emergency warning signs
If you smell burning, see scorch marks around any socket, switch, or the consumer unit itself, or hear buzzing or crackling from the consumer unit, switch off the main switch immediately and call an electrician. Do not retry any reset until the fault is identified.
The one thing you must never do yourself
Even when the main switch in your consumer unit is in the OFF position, the cables that enter the unit from the ESB Networks supply are still live at 230 volts. These incoming service cables are always energised unless ESB Networks isolates the supply from outside. Never open the consumer unit enclosure, attempt to access the meter, or touch any cables inside the unit. The only safe actions are to switch the main switch or individual circuit breakers on or off using their handles.
Under Irish regulations and the Electricity Regulation Act, all electrical installation work must be carried out by a registered electrical contractor holding a current RECI registration. This applies to fault-finding and repair, not just new installations. If you need to trace a fault beyond resetting a breaker, you need a qualified and registered electrician.
If your installation needs to be isolated completely for safety reasons, such as flood damage or a major fire, you will need ESB Networks to disconnect the supply at the meter. Call 1800 372 999 and explain the emergency. They can send a network operative to disconnect the service fuse, after which the consumer unit is safe to open for inspection and repair.
Emergency electrician call-out costs in Ireland
If the fault is internal and you need an emergency call-out, the cost will depend on your county, the time of day, and the complexity of the fault. Emergency call-outs outside standard working hours carry a premium rate. Most electricians will carry out a first inspection and identify the fault on a single call-out charge, with any additional parts or repair work charged separately.
These figures are for the call-out and fault identification. Parts and repair work are additional. A simple tripped breaker with a clear cause, such as an overloaded circuit, may cost little beyond the call-out fee. A wiring fault requiring cable replacement will be priced separately once the fault is located.
If frequent power cuts or ESB Networks outages are a concern for your household or business, a backup generator provides standby power when the grid fails. A transfer switch connects the generator to your property safely and is a mandatory safety requirement for any permanently wired standby system.
Common questions
My ESB Networks app shows no outage but I have no power. What should I check?+
Check your consumer unit first. Open the hall cupboard and look for any circuit breaker or RCD that is in the OFF or middle position. If everything appears to be on but you still have no power in part of the house, it is possible that a breaker has tripped but sits flush — try switching each breaker fully off and then back on. If the whole house has no power and all breakers appear on, the fault may be in the meter tails or the service fuse, both of which require ESB Networks to inspect.
Can I reset my RCD myself or do I need an electrician?+
You can attempt to reset the RCD yourself by pressing the reset button or switching it back to ON. Before doing so, switch off all circuit breakers on the board so you are not restoring power to unknown circuits simultaneously. If the RCD trips immediately on reset, there is a fault on one of the circuits it protects and you should call a RECI electrician rather than keep resetting it. Repeated resetting of a tripped RCD without identifying the fault is unsafe.
How long does ESB Networks take to restore power after an outage?+
ESB Networks targets restoration within 4 hours for standard network faults. Storm damage affecting multiple substations or long runs of overhead lines can take significantly longer, and ESB Networks prioritises by the number of customers affected. You can register as a priority customer with ESB Networks if you or someone in your household depends on medical equipment. Check powercheck.ie for live estimated restoration times once a fault is logged.
One room has lost power but the rest of the house is fine. What is causing it?+
A partial power loss affecting one room or one floor almost always means a single circuit breaker has tripped. Find the consumer unit and look for a breaker that is in the OFF or middle position. Before resetting it, unplug or switch off all appliances in the affected area, as the trip may have been caused by an overload or a faulty appliance. If the breaker trips again immediately even with nothing connected, there is a wiring fault on that circuit and it requires a RECI electrician to trace and repair.
Is ESB Networks responsible for the wiring inside my house?+
No. ESB Networks is responsible for the distribution network up to and including the meter and service fuse at your property boundary. All wiring from the meter through the consumer unit and around your home is your private installation and is your responsibility to maintain. Faults on your side of the meter must be rectified by a RECI-registered electrical contractor, not by ESB Networks. ESB Networks will only attend an internal fault if there is a safety emergency such as a fire risk near the meter.
Need an electrician now?
Find a RECI-registered electrician in your county. Every contractor listed is verified on the Safe Electric register and available for emergency call-outs.
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