Why this is a legal line, not just advice
Safe Electric runs the register of electrical contractors. The scheme is sponsored by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), the energy regulator.[1][4] Its words: “From 01 October 2013, anyone wishing to carry out Restricted Electrical Works must be registered with Safe Electric. Parties that carry out Restricted Electrical Works, but are not registered under the Safe Electric scheme, will be subject to prosecution.”[1]
There is no exception for doing it in your own house. Safe Electric’s factsheet says the restriction applies “with no legal exemption for the Owner or Occupier”.[4]
Doing Restricted Electrical Works without being registered is a criminal offence. Under the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 it carries a fine of up to €5,000 and/or 6 months in prison in the District Court, or up to €15,000 and/or 3 years on indictment. Falsely claiming to be a Registered Electrical Contractor carries up to €50,000 and/or 3 years on indictment.[5]
A Registered Electrical Contractor is often shortened to REC. We use the full name or “registered contractor” below.
Safe Electric says these cover “most electrical works in a domestic premise”, including work on the fuse board and installing or replacing circuits.[1] Minor works, such as like-for-like replacement of a switch, are outside the restriction.[1] Even so, Safe Electric says you should always use a Registered Electrical Contractor for electrical work in your home.[3]
What counts as Restricted Electrical Works
This is the legal list, quoted from Safe Electric, which sets out S.I. No. 264 of 2013. We do not add examples of our own, because the line is legal.[1]
- the installation, commissioning, inspection and testing of a new Electrical Installation which is fixed, fastened or mounted or otherwise secured so that its position does not change and requires connection or re-connection to the distribution network or the transmission network, as the case may be;
- the modification, installation or replacement of a Distribution Board including customer tails on either side of the Main Protective Device or of an Electrical Installation in any of the special locations listed in Part 7 of the National Rules for Electrical Installations, as the case may be;
- the installation or replacement of one or more circuits in an Electrical Installation, including the installation of one or more additional protective devices for such circuits on a Distribution Board; or
- the inspection, testing or certification of, or reporting on, existing Electrical Installations covered by Chapter 62 of the National Rules for Electrical Installations;
in a Domestic Property.
Three words in that list, as the regulations define them:[2]
- A Distribution Board is a “consumer unit or fuse-board”. So any change to your fuse board is restricted work.
- A Circuit is “part of an Electrical Installation supplied from the same origin and protected against overcurrents by a single protective device”.
- A Domestic Property includes a house, flat or maisonette, “any part of its out-buildings or curtilage used for non-commercial purposes”, and “a caravan or motor caravan intended for habitation purposes”. So the rules reach your shed, your garden and a caravan you live in.
If you are not sure whether a room counts as one of the “special locations” in Part 7 of the National Rules, ask a registered contractor before any work starts. We do not try to decide it for you.
What counts as minor work
Safe Electric says minor electrical works “include very small works such as like-for-like replacements (e.g. switches), moving light fittings without affecting the circuit and adding a socket to an existing circuit”.[1]
Its prosecution page puts it this way: minor works “generally involve the ‘like for like’ replacement of switches, sockets, lighting fittings, moving light fittings without affecting the circuit, and adding a socket to an existing circuit”. It adds: “The work must be in compliance with the National Wiring Rules.”[6]
Minor works are outside the restriction, but they are still electrical work. Safe Electric’s advice is the same for all of it: “You should ALWAYS use a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC) to carry out electrical work in your home.”[3] We do not explain how to wire a socket or test a circuit.
What you can safely do yourself
Safe Electric lists checks it wants householders to make:[7]
- Test your RCD. An RCD (residual current device) is the trip switch on your board that protects against shocks and some fires. Safe Electric says to “Test your trip switch or residual current device (RCD) twice yearly (when the clocks change) by pushing the test button.” The same page also says to test RCDs “at least every 3 months”, so testing every 3 months meets both. If it does not trip when you press the button, it is not working: get a registered contractor to check it.
- Look at plugs and flexes. Check sockets, switches and appliances “for signs of overheating, wear on flexes, plugtops not properly connected”. Faults include cracked or scorched plug tops, damaged flexes and taped joints.
- Do not overload sockets. “Don’t overload sockets with adaptors or extension blocks.”
- Keep portable appliances out of the bathroom. “A portable electrical appliance should never be brought into a bathroom.”
- Replace damaged items. “Always have any broken electrical items such as sockets, switches, appliances, worn cables, etc. replaced.”
- Know where your main switch is. On the board, the main switch “will switch off all electricity to the installation”.[7] Find it now, in daylight, so you can switch off in an emergency.
Signs to get a registered contractor in
Safe Electric names these:[7]
- “fuses blowing more than once, lights flickering”;
- an RCD “tripping for no apparent reason”, which “could be an indication of deterioration in the electrical insulation of the wiring or appliances”;
- a circuit breaker that keeps tripping after you reduce the load on that circuit.
Safe Electric also says homes should be inspected and tested “by a REC about every 5 years”.[7]
Getting it done properly
Check the contractor is registered. Search the Safe Electric register. Not every contractor is listed publicly, so if they are not shown, Safe Electric says to email info@safeelectric.ie or ring 091 480 974 to confirm.[3]
Ask for the Completion Certificate. By law a registered contractor must issue a Completion Certificate for all electrical work except minor works, and must certify minor works if you ask.[8] Safe Electric says to “always ask for a completion certificate for all electrical works completed in their home immediately after completion”. Keep it with your house papers.[8]
Buying or renting an older house? Ask a registered contractor for a Periodic Inspection Report. Safe Electric says it “is a report and not a Completion Certificate” and shows “the condition of an electrical installation, be it good or bad”.[9] If the contractor finds a serious hazard, they should give you a Notice of Potential Hazard.[9]
Gas work has its own register and rules: see Gas work at home.
Which situation are you in?
A dead socket. If the rest of the area has power, ESB Networks says internal wiring is your responsibility: check your trip switches and fuses. If they are fine and the socket still does not work, it recommends a registered electrical contractor.[10] If a switch keeps tripping, or the socket is scorched, call one.[7]
A bathroom fan. Ask a registered contractor first whether the job is in a special location. Do not guess.
A supply to the shed. The shed is part of your Domestic Property under the regulations.[2] Running a supply there needs a registered contractor if it means a new installation or a new circuit.[1]
A flickering light. Safe Electric says to have it checked by a registered contractor.[7]
You bought a house with no certificates. Get a Periodic Inspection Report from a registered contractor and act on what it finds.[9]
A handyman offers to add a circuit. That is item 3 on the restricted list. If they are not on the Safe Electric register, it is an offence for them to do it.[1][6]
Reporting illegal electrical work
Use Safe Electric’s online report form. It asks for the contractor’s details, where the work was done and when, and lets you attach photos or invoices.[11] If the work looks dangerous, such as exposed wires, stop using that part of the installation and get a registered contractor to make it safe. If anyone gets a shock or is in danger, call 112 or 999. If you cannot make a voice call, you can text 112 from an Irish mobile.[12]
If your power is off across the area, it is a network fault. Report it to ESB Networks on 1800 372 999. See the power cuts guide.[10]
Common questions
Can I change a socket myself in Ireland?
Like-for-like replacement of sockets is minor electrical work, which is outside Restricted Electrical Works, but it must still comply with the National Wiring Rules.[6] Safe Electric says you should always use a Registered Electrical Contractor for electrical work in your home.[3]
What are Restricted Electrical Works?
They are the works set out in S.I. No. 264 of 2013, which only a Registered Electrical Contractor may carry out and certify in a domestic property, including work on the fuse board and installing or replacing circuits.[1]
How do I check an electrician is registered?
Search the Safe Electric register, and if the contractor is not listed, email or ring Safe Electric to confirm, because not every registered contractor appears on the public search.[3]
Do I need a certificate for electrical work?
A Registered Electrical Contractor must issue a Completion Certificate for all electrical work except minor works, and must certify minor works if you ask.[8]
How often should I test my RCD?
Safe Electric says to test your RCD twice a year, when the clocks change, by pushing the test button.[7]
Data sources (12), all checked 2026-11-01
Footnotes
-
Safe Electric, Restricted and Controlled Electrical Works. Definition of Restricted Electrical Works and the minor works exclusion quoted verbatim. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10
-
S.I. No. 264 of 2013, Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Restricted Electrical Works) Regulations 2013, regulations 2 and 3. Read with pdftotext; checked 2026-11-01. ↩2 ↩3
-
Safe Electric, Find a Registered Electrical Contractor. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
-
Safe Electric, Registered Electrical Contractor factsheet, April 2016, Appendix 1. Read with pdftotext; checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2
-
Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (revised), sections 9D and 9E, Law Reform Commission revised Act updated to 31 December 2025. Section 9E: restricted electrical works by an unregistered person; section 9D: falsely claiming to be registered. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩
-
Safe Electric, Prosecution consequences. Penalties and the description of minor works quoted verbatim. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Safe Electric, Home safety, including “Safety Checks and Tips”. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
-
Safe Electric, Completion Certificates. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Safe Electric, Periodic Inspection Reports. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
ESB Networks, Power outage questions. “The sockets in the house are not working” and the follow-up question. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2
-
Safe Electric, Report illegal electrical works. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩
-
112.ie, SMS questions and answers. Checked 2026-11-01. ↩ ↩2
prepared.ie is independent and is not affiliated with the Government of Ireland, Safe Electric, the CRU, ESB or any agency. In an emergency, call 112 or 999.[12]
