The Spark #025: Eclipse Rattles the Grid, Copper Near Record and Schools Are Back

Welcome to Issue #25. Last Wednesday's solar eclipse did something nobody had seen before: it knocked Ireland's solar output to almost nothing in an hour and forced EirGrid to fire up an emergency power plant for the first time. We also have the construction PMI bouncing back to growth, copper trading near record highs with the first autumn electricity price hike already announced, and a word on the school run, which is about to make your morning counter trip a very different proposition.

Get The Spark delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning:

Subscribe to The Spark

📰 Industry News

The Eclipse Knocked Out Solar and EirGrid Had to Fire Up an Emergency Plant

Between 6.55pm and 8.21pm on Wednesday August 12th, EirGrid issued a margin warning to suppliers as the partial solar eclipse dragged grid-scale solar output down from over 500 megawatts to just 8 megawatts at the peak of the eclipse. With wind low, hot weather pushing demand up, three large power stations off for maintenance and imports from Britain running light, EirGrid switched on the 150 megawatt Tarbert emergency generation plant in Co Kerry for more than an hour. It was the first time Tarbert had been used since the emergency fleet was built in 2023, and only the second time any of the four emergency plants had been called on, after the North Wall unit in Dublin ran during the June heatwave.

The story behind the story is how big solar has become. The day before the eclipse, Tuesday August 11th, Ireland set a new all-time grid-scale solar record of 1,258 megawatts, roughly a third of national demand at that moment. July was a record solar month, at 9.4 per cent of all electricity generated, up from 5.7 per cent a year earlier. Ten years ago Ireland had 2 megawatts of grid-scale solar. It now has around 2.6 gigawatts. Solar Ireland's Ronan Power said you could see the eclipse in the national generation curve, "which is quite remarkable."

What it means for you: Two things. First, when a customer asks whether solar and batteries actually matter in Ireland, this is your answer: solar is now a big enough slice of the grid that losing it for an hour needed a diesel plant to cover the gap. A battery on a domestic install is no longer a luxury add-on, it is what keeps the lights on when the grid is thin. Second, the Irish Times editorial on Tuesday called the grid "in a parlous state because of years of underinvestment." That underinvestment is what the €18.9 billion PR6 programme is meant to fix, and it means grid work, substation work and reinforcement work for the next five years. Keep an eye on what is being tendered near you.

Construction PMI Bounces Back to 53.0 as All Three Sectors Grow

A month ago we reported the AIB Construction PMI crashing to 45.4 for June, the worst reading in years. The July figure, published August 11th, swings the other way: 53.0, firmly back into growth. Commercial activity posted a solid rise, housing returned to modest expansion after three months of contraction, and civil engineering grew for the first time since April 2025, ending a 14-month slump. It was the first time all three sectors expanded together in 15 months.

Employment rose for the ninth month running. Input cost inflation was the slowest in five months, and rates charged by sub-contractors rose at the softest pace since February 2025. AIB's John Fahey said the improvement "was broad-based." The one caveat in the report: new orders are up but only modestly, with firms still noting "a limited number of tender opportunities."

What it means for you: Do not read one good month as the all-clear, but do read it as permission to price with a bit more confidence for the autumn. Sub-contractor rates softening is a double-edged number: it means main contractors will lean on you for keener prices, so hold your line on day rates and make your value obvious. And with sector employment rising nine months in a row, holding onto your good lads is about to get harder. This week's contractor tip covers exactly that.

⚖️ Cost Watch: Copper Near Record and Pinergy First to Hike for Autumn

Copper. London Metal Exchange copper hit $14,396 a tonne on Monday, up 1.7 per cent on the day, extending a run of seven consecutive weekly gains and sitting within touching distance of the all-time high set in January. LME warehouse stocks have fallen for 42 sessions in a row to their lowest since February, and the premium for immediate delivery over three-month copper is the widest since October 2021, a classic sign of a physical squeeze. Copper is up around 16 per cent this year.

Pinergy. Pinergy became the first supplier to announce an autumn increase, putting electricity up 7.6 per cent from September 14th, roughly €169 a year on a typical bill, on top of a rise last October. Chief executive Enda Gunnell said the "scale and duration" of wholesale market disruption made the change unavoidable. Wholesale costs this year are running almost 20 per cent above 2025 according to bonkers.ie. Electric Ireland already went up 8 per cent on July 1st, and CRU network charges add another €41.25 a year from October 1st, softened slightly by the PSO levy falling to 51 cent a month.

What it means for you: Copper is the raw material in every metre of cable you buy. When the LME price runs like this, cable list prices follow within weeks, not months. If you have a big rewire or a commercial job with cable to be ordered for September, price it and order it now, and put a short validity on any cable-heavy quote. Twin and earth, SWA, singles and flex are all available in-store at Greenogue: call 01 401 9907 or email sales@shamrockelectrical.ie for current pricing and we will hold a price for you where we can. On the electricity side, every hike is a reason a homeowner picks up the phone about LED, controls, solar and heating upgrades. Be the electrician they think of.

🌿 Schools Are Back: Plan the Early Counter Run

Post-primary schools reopen from next week and primary follows over the following days, so by the first week of September every school in Dublin is open and the morning roads change overnight. The N7 at Rathcoole, the M50 between the N7 and the N4, and every estate road between the two clog from about 7.45am to 9.15am, and the quiet summer run to the counter that took twenty minutes will take forty. It also means the afternoon window from 2.30pm to 3.30pm gets busy again around every school.

A few practical adjustments make September a lot less painful:

1. Come early or come late. The counter opens at 7am. Between 7am and 7.45am the N7 is clear and you are in and out before the school traffic builds. Failing that, mid-morning between 9.30am and 11am is the next quiet slot.
2. Phone or email the order the evening before. Give us the list at 5pm and it is bagged and waiting at 7am. No walking the shelves, no waiting behind three other vans.
3. Use the free delivery. Every order ships free across Ireland with no minimum spend. If the job is in Naas, Tallaght or Lucan and you are not passing Greenogue anyway, let the courier sit in the traffic instead of you.
4. Batch by area. Two jobs in the same estate on the same day beats crossing the M50 twice. September is the month to look hard at how the diary is laid out.

And a small one for the safety file: the schools reopening means children on the roads outside every estate at drop-off and pick-up. Slow down around schools and remind the lads in the vans, especially if the ladders are on the roof.

🔦 Product Spotlight: Motion Sensor Lights

September is the month the security lighting phone starts ringing, and the PIR floodlight is the fitting most of those calls end up needing. Our motion sensor lights range covers the standard domestic and light commercial jobs:

• PIR LED floodlights for driveways, side passages and back gardens, IP65 rated, with adjustable sensitivity, time and lux settings so the customer is not woken by every passing cat.
• Combined photocell and PIR fittings where the customer wants a low background light from dusk that boosts to full on movement.
• Sensor bulkheads and wall lights for porches, back doors and communal stairwells where a floodlight is too much.

Pair them with our full floodlights range for the fixed and manual-switched fittings, and see the wider outdoor lights collection for the front door lantern that finishes the job. The three-fixture security install we covered in July, PIR floodlight at the drive, lantern with photocell at the door and sensor bulkheads at the back, is still the standard package to quote.

Trade pricing: Website prices are retail. On a run of PIR floodlights for a housing scheme, a management company or a commercial yard, the trade rate is worth the phone call every time. Ring the counter on 01 401 9907 or email sales@shamrockelectrical.ie with your list and we'll price it properly. Consumer units, RCBOs, MCBs and the outdoor-rated switchgear behind these jobs remain available in-store at Greenogue.

💡 Contractor Tip of the Week: Six Ways to Keep Your Best Electricians When the Big Employers Come Calling

ESB Networks is recruiting up to 100 qualified electricians nationwide, with applications closing on Sunday August 30th. Sector employment has risen nine months in a row. Data centre and pharma main contractors are still hiring. If you run a small firm with two or three good electricians, at least one of them is being tempted this month. Six things that keep people, most of which cost less than a recruitment ad:

1. Do the pay review before they ask. A lad who has to come to you cap in hand for a rise has already half decided to leave. Sit down with each of them in the next fortnight, look at what the big employers are paying, and make the call yourself.
2. Get the van and the tools right. Nothing says "we do not value you" like a van with 300,000 km on it and a drill that dies before lunch. Decent kit is cheaper than a decent electrician.
3. Give them a say in the diary. The big employers sell shift patterns and predictable hours. Match it where you can: a fixed early finish on Fridays, or a say in which jobs they take on, is worth real money to someone with a young family.
4. Take on an apprentice for each of them. A good electrician with an apprentice under them feels like a foreman, not a fitter. It also builds your bench for when someone does eventually move on.
5. Pay for the tickets and the CPD. Safe Electric renewals, Safe Pass, MEWP, first aid, manual handling. Pay for it, give the time for it, and say out loud that you are investing in them.
6. Tell them where the business is going. People leave when they cannot see a future. Ten minutes on a Friday about the jobs coming in and where they fit is the cheapest retention tool there is.

📅 Dates to Know

• From Monday August 24th: Post-primary schools reopen, primary follows. Morning roads busy from next week, plan the early counter run.
• Sunday August 30th: ESB Networks electrician applications close.
• Tuesday September 1st: Excise step one: diesel up 10c, petrol up 9c. Fill up on the 31st.
• Monday September 14th: Pinergy electricity prices up 7.6 per cent.
• Tuesday September 15th to Thursday 17th: National Ploughing Championships, Screggan, Co. Offaly.
• Thursday October 1st: Excise step two, both up 8c. CRU network charges up €41.25 a year, PSO levy cut to 51c a month.
• Tuesday October 6th: Budget 2027.
• Sunday October 25th: Clocks go back. Security lighting season proper.
• Every Wednesday: The Spark lands in your inbox.

That's it for this week. Order your September cable before copper does any more damage, get in early or phone ahead once the schools are back, and have the pay conversation with your good lads before someone else does. Trade counter is open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 1:30pm.

The Shamrock Electrical Team
Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin
01 401 9907 | sales@shamrockelectrical.ie

📬 Subscribe to The Spark

The Spark goes out every Wednesday morning to electrical contractors across Ireland. Free, no spam, unsubscribe any time.

Subscribe to The Spark

📖 Previous Issues

• Issue 024: Diesel up 19 cent, the excise clock starts September 1st, wind power dumped by the grid, bulkhead lights
• Issue 023: New opening hours, construction output figures, periodic inspection paperwork, wall lights for hallways and stairs
• Issue 022: RFE equipped distribution boards land at Shamrock, the fuel cost cliff, punch-list management
• Issue 021: EV grant cliff on 31 July, security lighting season, summer campaign tip

About Shamrock Electrical Supplies

Shamrock Electrical Supplies is an electrical wholesaler and retailer based in Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. We supply professional electrical contractors and homeowners across Ireland.

Contractors who open a trade account get competitive trade pricing, reliable stock availability, and a team that knows what they are talking about.

Find Us

Shamrock Electrical Supplies
Unit 22, Block 613, Jordanstown Road
Greenogue Business Park
Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, D24 TX98

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 7am to 5pm
Saturday: 9am to 1:30pm
Sunday: Closed

Get in Touch

📞 01 401 9907
✉️ sales@shamrockelectrical.ie
🌐 shamrockelectrical.ie

Open a Trade Account and Get 10% Off Your First Order

Where to Find Us