NEDS Review Survey

Closed9 Feb, 2026, 09:00 - 20 Feb, 2026, 18:00

NEDS Review Survey

Illustration of energy

The National Energy Demand Strategy

Ireland’s first National Energy Demand Strategy (NEDS) Decision paper (CRU202467) was published by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) on 15 July 2024 (and has since transitioned to implementation). This strategy was developed to meet both the specific ambition set out in the Government’s Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23) under an assigned CRU action (EL/23/24) to “complete and publish an electricity demand side strategy and implementation plan”, and to support wider decarbonisation and security of supply objectives. Its objective is to enhance Ireland’s energy demand flexibility to support a more sustainable, cost-effective, and secure energy system plus it enables customers to adopt more flexible energy consumption patterns.
 

To support this objective, 53 actions and 3 recommendations were identified in the NEDS and assigned to multiple stakeholders including government departments (DCEE, DETE), state agencies such as the SEAI and EPA, the CRU, system operators (ESBN, EirGrid, GNI), energy suppliers, and many others for completion. These actions are within one of three key focus areas: Area 1: Smart Services, Area 2: Demand Flexibility & Response, and Area 3: New Demand Connections. The objective of Area 1 is to introduce measures that encourage greater flexibility among domestic customers and smaller business customers. Area 2 of the NEDS relates to the development and implementation of incentives and measures to provide demand response at certain times, or system conditions. Area 3 focuses on building flexibility contributions from Large Energy Users (LEUs) seeking new connections.

The implementation of these actions has required a coordinated approach being adopted across public bodies and a broad spectrum of sectors, including energy, enterprise, environment, planning, and regulation. In addition, the CRU committed to publishing a series of Updates intended to provide ongoing monitoring of progress as against these actions. Two such publications have been delivered by the CRU to date with a third due for publication in Q2 2026 (published updates are available to review at the following links: CRU202505; CRU202580).

About This Survey

The CRU is currently embarking on a review of the NEDS in terms of its design, focus, and progress so as to assess its performance to date. Therefore, this survey forms an integral part of a broader stakeholder engagement process being undertaken by the CRU to support the ongoing implementation of the NEDS.

The purpose of this survey is to provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to feed back on the NEDS progress. This will help contribute towards the CRUs review of the NEDS, including a reflection of the diverse perspectives, experiences, and priorities of stakeholders across the energy system. The insights and comments gathered through this survey will help to inform the CRU in this regard to ensure that the NEDS remains responsive, inclusive, and impactful. An anonymised summary and analysis of the responses received may be published as part of the NEDS progress reporting process in due course. 

Instructions for Respondents

  • This questionnaire should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
  • The questionnaire is set out in three sections.
  • Please answer as many questions as possible. Where applicable, feel free to provide additional comments or examples for clarification purposes.
  • If you are unsure about any question, you may indicate “not applicable.”
  • Your responses will be treated confidentially and used solely for the purpose of informing NEDS progress to date and future stakeholder engagement planning.

Please complete this questionnaire by close of business on Friday, 20th February 2026.

The closing date has passed and submissions are no longer being accepted.