While the onus to a supply a Completion Cert to ESB rests primarily on the Customer, in practice it makes more sense for the electrical contractor to return the Cert to his Regulatory Body.
We have seen instances where the customer has held on to the Cert for several months and often until it is out of date (6 months after date of test).
They then take issue when the contractor has to go back, retest the installation and charge them for that work and for a new Cert.
We would urge Contractors to ensure that the Cert is submitted directly to ECSSA once the installation has been tested.
We also want to point out that we do not hold Certs in the ECSSA Office pending their transmission to ESB. Every Cert received is either forwarded to ESB if everything is in order, or sent back to the contractor if there are problems with it, all on the same day.
Contractors should not use delay in the ECSSA Office as an excuse to their customers for non-connection of supply when in actual fact the real reason for the delay may rest with the contractor who has either failed to fill the Cert correctly, or who has forgotten to check that his insurance and/or membership are up to date before submitting the Cert. Once a Cert is transmitted to ESB, there is rarely any inordinate delay before ESB makes supply available. Notification is then sent by ESB by way of a text to the contractor’s mobile number.
For this reason it is important that any change of mobile number is notified to ECSSA, who can then amend it’s systems and ensure that the correct mobile is forwarded to ESB.