Regulation 6 of Statutory Instrument No. 20 of 2022 provides that electricity customers are free to choose the electricity supplier of their choice, with responsibility for regulatory oversight in this respect a matter for the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). Gas and electricity retail markets in Ireland operate within a European regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive. Operating within the overall EU framework, responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is a matter for the independent regulator, CRU, which was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity and gas markets following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA), 1999.
The ESB Networks Rules for Application of Distribution Use of System Tariff Group sets out the definition for domestic and business customers. The communal area of an apartment block does not meet the description of a domestic customer premises. These communal areas are managed and run by the management company of the apartment block and thus fall under the DG5 definition.
In the event that a dispute should arise, between a tenant and landlord, in relation to the terms of a lease or otherwise, there are existing dispute resolution mechanisms provided by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).