Controlled demand reduction

The controlled disconnection of customers in an emergency controlled demand reduction event needs to be done quickly in order to maintain stability of the electrical system and prevent wide scale uncontrolled outages. The affected area /customers impacted will not be known until the emergency event needs to take place.

However, rota demand reduction plans will be published on our website. These plans will contain zones where customers can establish whether the risk for disconnection for controlled demand reduction is likely to happen on a particular date is high, medium, or low.

ESB Networks will publish this on our website www.esbnetworks.ie as soon as it is available.

Customers that are classified as Priority Customers are not guaranteed security of supply. Controlled emergency demand reduction procedures make every effort to maintain supply to priority customers where practical and for as long as possible but there is no guarantee against disconnection (e.g. in accordance with the Distribution Code, supply security cannot be ensured for any customer).

Depending on the circumstances, the DSO - Distribution System Operator may have no option but to apply Controlled Demand Reduction measures to Priority Customers or may not be in a position to avoid or prevent loss of supply to such customers.

We recognise that disconnecting customers will cause disruption and would be regrettable should it occur. However, during an electricity system emergency, controlled disconnection may be necessary to safeguard the wider electricity system. 

ESB Networks has a database of vulnerable customers who have registered with their electricity Supplier. ESB Networks advocate all customers who meet the criteria of vulnerable customer to register with their Supplier and review our Vulnerable customer policy.

Unfortunately ESB Networks is unable to treat vulnerable customers differently with regard to load demand reduction, as power is disconnected remotely and it is not technically possible to isolate individual homes where vulnerable customers live. Although we cannot avoid the outage for vulnerable customers, if we have sufficient notice ESB Networks will send SMS’s to our vulnerable customers, where we have their mobile number in our database, so that they are informed of the event and kept updated.

ESB Networks will notify vulnerable customers in advance of a “rota” controlled demand reduction event. However, where “emergency” controlled demand reduction is required, ESB Networks may not have adequate notice from EirGrid to allow us to notify vulnerable customers in advance of the outage. However we will notify vulnerable customers as soon as possible in the immediate aftermath of them being disconnected in an emergency controlled demand reduction event, so that they are informed of the event and they can be kept updated.

Medically vulnerable customers who use electrically powered medical devices are advised to have alternative arrangements in place such as fully charged battery backup or have a plan to move to another location if required. Vulnerable customers are advised to discuss such arrangements with the district nurse or HSE representative regarding how their medical equipment works.

How will I be informed and what advance notice will I get?

How you will be informed will depend on whether the event needs to happen as an emergency or if the event is planned.

Emergency demand reduction;

ESB Networks, on receipt of instruction from Eirgrid, will commence emergency controlled demand disconnection of customers from the electrical network. Unfortunately there will be no prior warning of this as ESB Networks will only have a matter of minutes to perform the emergency operations on the network.  Eirgrid and ESB Networks will co-ordinate customer messaging with customer communication plans agreed in advance.

The following channels are used:

• Press Announcements
• Social Media
• www.esbnetworks.ie
• PowerCheck.ie

Rota/Planned demand reduction;

In the event that rota controlled demand reduction needs to take place, then this will be communicated beforehand via the above channels, giving customers a minimum of 12 hours notice.

In particular the ESB Networks website will contain a dedicated webpage on this topic. Customers will have access to a map of Ireland which will display the 3 different zones and these zones will have a high, medium, or low risk rating associated with it which represents the probability of the customers in that zone being disconnected for controlled demand reduction reasons. We are advising customers to plan their electricity needs on the basis of the risk rating.  

If outages need to occur over a series of consecutive days, then the risk ratings of the zones will alternate so there is a sharing of the burden across all geographical regions.

Eirgrid, as the Transmission System Operator, advise of the required level of demand reduction required on the electricity system. ESB Networks' Control Centre implements the reduction of demand, at the request of EirGrid, by remotely switching off power.

If outages need to occur over a series of consecutive days, then the risk ratings of the zones will alternate so there is a sharing of the burden across all geographical regions.

Some customers are essential for maintaining societal services. Emergency controlled demand reduction procedures make every effort to maintain supply to these customers where practical and for as long as possible. Customers who provide / operate essential services (health, safety, security, economic or social wellbeing of society) include for example;

• Transport: Major International Airports and associated control facilities; Railway operations with national or regional service
• Major Ports which have a national infrastructure significance
• Water- Essential water and sewage installations of regional significance
• Health - Major Hospitals
• National Security, Policing and Public Safety Infrastructure; Emergency services of national or regional significance, Defence Forces Sites that provide civil protection support; Prison Service
• Communications; National Public Service Broadcaster; Public Administration
• Central Government Buildings - NECG - (National Emergency Co-ordination Group) Headquarters

ESB Networks will aim to limit the outage durations to a maximum of four hours. If necessary ESB Networks will switch out additional customers who were not already disconnected earlier that day, and restore electricity supply to customers who were previously switched out, as a means of sharing the burden and to help limit the duration of the outages.

ESB Networks will work to ensure customers get information, e.g. an estimated restoration time on this as quickly as possible, this will be published on PowerCheck.ie

When EirGrid issues an amber alert on the system, and customers are aware of this through media, then customers can certainly help by reducing their usage of electricity where possible at the peak hours (5pm – 7pm). High users of electricity include the following: 

• Electric shower and immersion water heater
• Electric car charging
• Appliances: tumble dryer, electric/induction cookers, dishwasher, and washing machines
• Electric kettle, hairdryer and clothes iron

Vulnerable customers who use electrical equipment to aid them in their daily lives are clearly not expected to refrain from using such equipment during the peak hours.

It is required for a number of reasons; Growth in demand, power generator unavailability, interconnector power flows, fault outages on the network, and low wind generation. These emergency actions can be required at short notice to protect the integrity of the Irish electricity system and avoid more serious and prolonged nationwide outage.