ESB did not upgrade to 100A fuse

12 kVa is the 'standard' connection size and 16 kVa is the 'enhanced' size.

There's potentially a good bit more to an MIC upgrade rather than simply swapping the fuse - and you'd have to pay. For rates, see here (when ESBN website is back up):https://www.esbnetworks.ie/docs/default-source/publications/esb-networks-dac-statement-of-charges.pdf

Better to implement load balancing etc. on your EV chargers and so on. Capacity is expensive and you'll pay a lot to upgrade to a level that might only be needed for a few hours a month. I really urge to look at demand-side measures before you go down the over-engineering route.

He said a 100A wouldn't fit. I was under the impression that the fuses were physically the same size, or am I wrong?

The 100A fuse is different AFAIK. You have a 12kVA connection with a 60A fuse. You can pay the best part of €2k to upgrade to the 16kVA connection. You might be lucky and already have an 80A fuse. That happens quite a bit.

The €200 you paid is just their standard call out rate. You wont get a connection upgrade for that €200 so I think you misunderstood the process somewhere along the line.

I paid the €200 fee for this work.

You didnt though. Thats their call out fee and connecting the new tails. If you, for instance, blew the ESB fuse by overloading it they would charge you that €200 to come out and replace the fuse (first time is free I think).

The 80A fuse will do you fine. The key is load sensing charge points.

Appliances like dishwashers etc wont matter. They will come on for a few minutes to heat water and the rest of the cycle is small current. When they do heat water the charge points will ramp down by the appropriate amount to protect the fuse and ramp up again once the water heating portion of the cycle is done.

I've 2 EV's, heat pump and all the other usual appliances all running at the same time and i've no issues. I often go to 75A (the limit I set on the charge points).

You are also unlikely to have both EV's charging all night every night but even if you do the load sensing will protect everything and over the 9hr night rate you will be fine.

Looking for 100A fuse is just going to take you to unnecessary expense and you dont really need it.

I would recommend the 16kVA (80A) enhanced connection though. You need to check what the main fuse rating is on your consumer unit. If thats still a 60A fuse it wont make any difference what the ESB fuse is rated for because you'll trip your own fuse first. Did you electrician put an 80A fuse on your main consumer unit?

Payback periods are essential! We all need to do the right thing in the transition to renewables, but not at any cost.

As for messing with the fuse sizes, it would bring your home's insurance in jeopardy. Not risking that.

ESBN have known for a good 10 years that the demand for electricity would be increasing by at least 10-15% per year for decades to come. What have they been doing, sitting on their hands? If so, that would be stunningly incompetent.

I think I could get away with 80A, which is what the technician apparently installed on Thursday. I don't think paying €2k is worth it for the extra head room right now.

If you already have an 80A fuse in your consumer unit then you dont need to do anymore or pay the €2k. You already have access to 80A.

If the ESB put in a 100A fuse for you on their end you would still be limited by the 80A on your consumer unit so you dont need the 100A fuse unless you plan to bring your electrician back out and do more work to increase your consumer unit. That would seem excessive to me.

Like I said, I charge two EV's, heat pump and appliances at the same time with 80A. It works fine with load sensing charge points.

If you had a 60A fuse on your consumer unit that would be more of a challenge but it sounds like you have access to 80A so you're good to go from what I can tell. Is the new Hager MCB on the bottom right corner of your meter box rated for 80A?

I got a 16kva upgrade on a 1980 house. 100amp ESBN fuse, 80amp MCB in the meter box.

It seems to depend on who you talk to or what area you are in. Did you physically eyeball that fuse yourself or just what they told you?

And if it is 100A is it in the 60/80A fuse holder or did they swap the holder out too?

When I got the smart meter in I spoke to the installer guy. He told me that a 100A fuse would not fit in the 60/80A holder. Im taking him at his word and it would be odd when it comes to safety that they would mislabel the incoming mains like that but maybe they relabeled yours or something?

Ultimately, in any case the thing that matters for the end user is the consumer unit limit. If thats rated and certified for 80A then you have all you need in terms of an enhanced connection.

So who installed the 80A fuse in your CU? Was it ESBN? As @KCross said, presuming your ESBN fuse is also at least 80A, that is what you have access too. So basically a nearly free upgrade from a 8kVA to a 16kVA MIC 😁

I would stay a good few amps below this so not to risk blowing the ESBN side fuse

In other words: happy days

OK, definitely talk to your electrician then.

ESBn are saying you have an 8kVA connection but you now appear to have the ability to pull 16kVA.

The ESB cable from the pole to the meter box needs to be able to handle that doubling of load. You need to get input from your electrician here based on what ESBn have just told you.

With an 80A CU fuse, you will need to be on a 16kVA MIC for it to be legit (and obviously all other cabling / fuses to be according to the regs)

There are KM and KM of lines that need to be done though.

I'm 5KM from Dublin City Centre and we (and everyone nearby) is on overhead supply.

I happen to have 3-phase but everything is screw in fuses and under powered tails, earths etc.

Oh I'm not making light of the work to be done, it is huge. But ESBN saw it all coming and should have gone all out upgrading everything from about 10 years ago. And it doesn't cost them a cent, whatever the total costs are, with a nice margin for their profit, will be paid for by the end users.

5km from the city centre and your whole area is still on overhead supply? That is mad though. Do you mind me asking whereabouts in Dublin that is? Do you suffer regular power cuts in storms and all that?