Utilities regulator records more than 900 work standard complaints

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities investigated 914 reports between January 2021 and September 2023, the highest number of which were about its Registered Gas Installers scheme

A total of 235 reports of illegal electrical works were made to the commission. File Picture: iStock

More than 900 complaints about shoddy workmanship, poor safety standards, or illegal works to gas and electrical systems were made over a near three-year period.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) investigated a total of 914 reports between January 2021 and September 2023, the highest number of which were about its Registered Gas Installers scheme.

The CRU said 247 people had complained about works carried out by registered electrical contractors. This included 10 cases of “poor service”, 86 about safety practices during work, and 28 about “work quality”.

There were also 114 reports a person had not received certification of work, six cases where work was apparently certified by the wrong person, and a small number of complaints that were not categorised.

The CRU received 264 reports about registered gas installers, with many of the same issues cropping up. There were 77 cases where a certificate was not provided, 26 about poor service, and 77 about the quality of work that was carried out.

Logged as well were 53 reports where a customer was unhappy with the safety standards of work that took place at their home or premises.

The CRU said there were also a small number of cases relating to commercial work, non-registered installers, and complaints about the system for registration of contractors and workers.

A total of 235 reports of illegal electrical works were made to the commission, according to data that was released under Freedom of Information laws.

These were cases where work was being done or offered by a person who had no registration to carry it out. Detail on these reports is scant but 87 of the cases were in Dublin, 23 in Cork, 12 in Galway, and 11 in Louth.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

A further 168 reports were made about illegal gas works, with more than half the cases logged in Dublin at 89, and 14 in Cork.

Asked about the figures, a spokesman for the CRU said it was illegal for a person to falsely portray themselves as registered for gas and electrical works.

He said: “The CRU undertakes investigations into reports of alleged illegal electrical [restricted] works and gas works.

“The CRU also investigates reports of individuals or entities falsely describing themselves in a manner likely to suggest that they are [registered]. In some cases, where the individual is in fact registered, the CRU passes details to Safe Energy Ireland.” 

He said Safe Energy Ireland then considered whether disciplinary action was warranted, which could include additional inspections of work or requiring the person to undertake re-training.