Home Improvement Safety Tips

• When carrying out work close to your overhead electricity supply such as painting or roofing work, contact ESB Networks to shroud the wires
• When using a ladder at roof height make sure not to touch or come close to the electricity wires or connections
• If the work you are doing requires the electricity wires to be moved or altered, contact ESB Networks
• If you are getting external wall insulation see our guide (PDF | 3 MB).

ETCI Certificate

If you are getting a new house wired or having existing wiring renewed or extended you must get an ETCI completion certificate from your Electrical Contractor. This certificate is the contractor's statement that the installation complies with the National Wiring Rules. The ETCI certificate is also required by ESB Networks before a new supply can be connected.  

For more information see the Commission for Energy Regulation website and the Electro Technical Council of Ireland website.

Trip switches and other essential safety features

Trip switches (RCDs), fuses and miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) are essential safety features in all homes as they make your electrical installation safe if a fault occurs.  

Trip switches and Residual Circuit Devices (RCD)

A trip switch or RCD detects leakages of electricity current from the circuit. Once a fault is detected, the circuit is disconnected. Trip switches/RCDs are found in the fuse board and should be tested frequently.

MCBs and Fuses

Replacing a fuse

When you need to replace a fuse which has failed always make sure to replace it with one of the same size.

Each fuse has a small coloured disc in the base and the colour identifies the size. The colours are:

 Table 1 - Fuse Disc colour and size