Ireland has a liberalized (deregulated) electricity market rather than a fully deregulated, free-market grid. While generation and supply are competitive, the transmission and distribution grid is still owned by the state and strictly regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), ensuring safe and secure supply. The high-voltage grid is operated by EirGrid, and the physical distribution network is owned by ESB Networks, both of which are state-owned. This configuration has alllowed multiple companies to generate and sell electricity.
With gas usually hovering aroud €1.70 a liter or $7.50 a gallon, not considering the spike recently to fuel prices, an electric vehicle (EV) was a no brainer. Ford’s Power Promise provides for a free Home EV Charger with installation, which added to the incentives to go electric. A full electric charge (from 5% to 80%) is expected to cost $12.05, if charged betweeen 11pm and 8am.
The home charger, schedule to be installed on 4/21/2026, will draw approximately 32 amps. This might be a problem as the current service level to the house is 80 amps. Hoping that they upgrde the service to 200 amp.
EV Charger installed. No service upgrade! This is an issue, as our intent is to utilize two 27 KW electric tankless water heaters for both radiant floor heating and potable hot water. The savings come from the fact that the unit sits idle for the bulk of the day and only heats potable water when a faucet or other water devices is turned on. This is similarly true for the radiant heating system.
A call was made to ESB to upgrade the service level to 29 KVA (125 Amps at 220 Volts), the highest domestic service provided to a residential home. The appropriate documents were submitted online on April 29, 2026. Cost for this upgrade are estimated at €2000.
Still a work in progress.
