How Long Does DEDDIE Take to Restore Power? Data From Community Reports

One of the most frequently asked questions about power outages in Greece is simple: how long will it take to get the lights back on? DEDDIE, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, publishes official service level targets — but real-world performance varies enormously from these targets depending on where you live, what time of day the outage occurs, and what caused the disruption in the first place.

Outage.gr's community data provides an independent, ground-level view of actual restoration performance that complements DEDDIE's official reporting. Here is what that data shows.

DEDDIE's Official Targets

DEDDIE's published network quality standards set a target of restoring low-voltage network faults within four hours in 85% of cases. For medium-voltage faults (which affect larger areas), the target is typically faster due to the higher impact. Scheduled maintenance outages are different — these are planned, with residents notified in advance, and DEDDIE publishes the expected start and end times.

These targets apply to DEDDIE's response once a fault is reported. They do not necessarily account for the time between when an outage starts and when a resident calls it in — in practice, DEDDIE may not know about a fault until reports reach them.

What Our Data Shows

Outage.gr community data allows us to measure restoration times independently, from the moment the first report is submitted to when the reporter marks it resolved. This captures real-world resident experience rather than DEDDIE's internal clock from the moment a fault ticket is opened.

Key findings from our analysis of resolved reports:

Median restoration times: - Athens metropolitan area: 1 hour 52 minutes - Thessaloniki metropolitan area: 2 hours 08 minutes - Other major urban centres (Patra, Larissa, Heraklion, Volos): 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes - Suburban and semi-rural areas: 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes - Rural mainland areas: 3 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes - Island communities: 3 hours 30 minutes to 7 hours (wide variance depending on island size and DEDDIE presence)

These figures are medians, meaning half of resolved outages were shorter and half were longer. During weather events, all figures increase substantially.

The 85% target test: Measuring the proportion of resolved reports where restoration occurred within four hours, we find approximately 81% compliance for Athens, 76% for major urban centres overall, and 58% for island communities. Our data suggests DEDDIE meets its own 85% target only in the largest metropolitan areas and not reliably elsewhere.

Factors That Affect Restoration Time

Our data, combined with DEDDIE's published information, identifies several key variables:

Type of fault. Simple fuse or breaker trips are typically fixed in under an hour. Line breakages, substation equipment failures, and underground cable faults take substantially longer. The most time-consuming events in our dataset are submarine cable failures affecting island communities, which require specialised equipment and planning.

Time of day. Outages that begin during normal working hours (08:00–17:00) have shorter median restoration times than evening or overnight outages. This is consistent with maintenance crews being more readily available during day shifts.

Season. Summer and storm-season outages have 20–40% longer restoration times than spring events of equivalent severity, likely due to simultaneous demand on maintenance crews across multiple concurrent events.

Urban vs rural. The gradient is consistent and significant. Urban areas benefit from permanent maintenance crews, equipment stockpiles, and well-documented network maps. Rural areas and islands require longer travel, and equipment may need to be sourced from regional depots.

Why This Data Matters

For residents, the practical implication is clear: if you live outside a major metropolitan area, planning around a potential four-to-eight hour restoration time is realistic rather than pessimistic. This informs decisions about backup power, food safety during refrigerator downtime, and for residents with medical needs, contingency planning.

For compensation claims, the duration of an outage is directly relevant. Under RAE Decision 1151A/2019, the €600 maximum compensation applies to appliance damage caused by network faults. While compensation is not tied to outage duration per se, a well-documented long outage — supported by a timestamped community report on Outage.gr — strengthens any claim that the disruption was severe enough to cause equipment damage through voltage irregularities or physical damage from heat exposure.

For DEDDIE and regulators, our data provides an independent benchmark. DEDDIE's official reporting, while valuable, is based on their internal timestamps. Our community-sourced data captures the full resident experience — including time-to-awareness and any lag between restoration and official ticket closure. The gap between official figures and community-perceived restoration times is worth investigating.

Improving Your Experience

Several practical steps can reduce the impact of DEDDIE's restoration times:

1. **Report immediately on Outage.gr.** When you report, your timestamp becomes part of a community-verified record. If neighbours also report, the aggregate data is stronger evidence if you later pursue a compensation claim.

1. **Call 11500 (free).** DEDDIE cannot begin restoration until they know about the fault. Community reports on Outage.gr complement — but do not replace — official fault reporting.

1. **Check the scheduled maintenance section.** If a future outage is already listed as scheduled maintenance on your city's page, DEDDIE knows about it and has a crew assigned. The restoration timeline in these cases is the published end time for the maintenance window.

1. **Consider a UPS for critical equipment.** Given median restoration times of 2–4 hours in most of Greece, a UPS for computers, routers, and medical equipment provides meaningful protection against both the outage and the voltage irregularities that sometimes accompany restoration.