Get Winter Ready

A little preparation now will make a big difference when severe weather hits

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Simple steps you can take in advance

Minimise the impact of severe weather on your household by taking these three simple steps today.

Save our emergency number Save our emergency number 1800 372 999 in your contacts today to instantly report a fallen wire or damaged pole.

Locate your identifiers Find your Eircode and 11-digit MPRN (top right of your electricity bill) and keep them handy to report or track outages.

Familiarise yourself with PowerCheck Visit PowerCheck today to see how the live map works before severe weather hits.

Check in on those who may need a little extra help.

Check in on elderly or vulnerable neighbours, family and friends in advance of bad weather.

Help them save our emergency number on their phone.
Confirm they have essential supplies (warm blankets, a torch and accessible food).
Ensure those relying on powered medical or mobility devices have a backup power plan.
Save 112 or 999 for emergencies, along with your GP and GP out-of-hours numbers for medical advice.

ESB Networks employee working in an office environment, speaking on a desk phone at a computer workstation, with colleagues working nearby.

Vulnerable Customer Register (VCR)

Energy and water suppliers maintain a Vulnerable Customer Register (VCR) for customers who rely on powered medical equipment or require special services. It’s also important that you organise a backup plan for medical devices in advance.

Why register?

Planned Outage Alerts: You will be contacted at least three days in advance of any planned upgrades or network maintenance.
Dedicated Communications: During severe weather or prolonged outages, we always contact critically reliant customers.
Disconnection Protection: Registered customers are protected from disconnection for non-payment during the critical winter months.

If you’re unsure whether you qualify or need more information, please contact your electricity supplier.

Find your suppliers’ registration page

Be prepared for a power cut or power outage

Never approach fallen electricity wires or damaged poles. Keep away and report damage immediately to ESB Networks on 1800 372 999
Turn off cookers, ovens, irons and other appliances to ensure they do not turn back on unattended when power is restored.
Leave a single light switched on so you can easily see when power is restored.
Take extra care if using candles, oil lamps or other naked flames.
Test smoke alarms regularly with fresh batteries.
Ensure adequate ventilation if using gas heaters.
Using a generator safely. If using a standby generator, ensure it is installed and working safely. For full details visit Generator Safety Guidelines

Be Emergency Ready

Find out how you and your household can prepare as part of the Be Emergency Ready campaign.

Familiarise yourself with PowerCheck

Visit PowerCheck today to see how the live map works before severe weather hits.

During an outage, use it to view active faults and register directly on your local fault pin for real-time progress updates:

Click or tap the active outage pin affecting your area.
Click ‘Keep Me Updated’ inside the details panel.
Enter your Eircode, mobile number or email address to receive free, real-time restoration updates for that specific fault.

Two network technicians in high-visibility jackets and blue safety helmets standing outdoors in a grassy field. One worker is pointing toward the horizon while the other looks in the same direction.

How we’re getting ready

We spent the spring and summer strengthening our network - reviewing poles and lines on the ground, and from the air, in preparation for winter.

See our resilience preparations