Households across the west and wider north-west facing frequent and lengthy electricity disruptions should receive relief from standing charges, a Fine Gael senator has said.

Senator Gareth Scahill praised ESB Networks crews for working in hazardous conditions, but said persistent weaknesses in the grid mean many rural areas are left without power for days at a time.

"These outages are no longer rare or exceptional. They are becoming a pattern, and households are paying the price for a system that simply isn't resilient enough," he said.

He argued that until the electricity network is comprehensively upgraded, there should be a clear form of cost relief for those left without supply, or penalties applied when the service is not delivered.

"A standing charge is supposed to cover the cost of providing a service. But if you have no electricity for days, should you really be paying it? Crediting back the standing charge during outages is a simple and fair solution which recognises that customers shouldn’t carry the cost of a system that isn’t delivering for them."

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While a compensation scheme exists for prolonged outages that are not caused by storms, Senator Scahill said it no longer reflects current realities.

"Most of the outages are weather-related. That's the problem. The support that exists doesn't apply to the very situations causing the most disruption."

Under the ESB Network Repair Guarantee, the company aims to restore power within four hours of an interruption. If supply is not returned within 24 hours after ESB Networks has been notified of a fault, domestic customers may claim €65, businesses €130, with an additional €35 for each further 12-hour period without electricity. However, this guarantee does not apply in exceptional circumstances such as storms or widespread disruption.

"ESB staff do extraordinary work in dangerous conditions, and none of this is a criticism," said Senator Scahill. "But, for households who fall outside the scope of the existing compensation scheme, there needs to be a transparent mechanism to ensure they’re not paying for a service they're not getting."

He said that while long-term measures like wider forestry corridors and upgraded infrastructure are essential, immediate and practical support is needed for households while works are ongoing.

"People in rural Roscommon deserve the same reliability and security of supply as anywhere else in the country. Until the system is upgraded, we must ensure families are not left carrying the cost of systemic weaknesses."