Scheduled vs Unscheduled Outages: Understanding DEDDIE Maintenance Windows

Not all power outages are emergencies. DEDDIE conducts planned maintenance on its distribution network throughout the year — upgrading equipment, connecting new installations, testing protection systems, and replacing ageing components. These scheduled outages are fundamentally different from unexpected faults, and understanding the difference matters for how you prepare, what you can claim, and where to find advance notice.

Scheduled Outages: What They Are and Why They Happen

A scheduled outage is a planned interruption to electricity supply, authorised and organised by DEDDIE in advance, to allow maintenance or construction work to proceed safely on the distribution network.

Common reasons for scheduled outages include: - Replacing an ageing transformer or substation equipment - Connecting a new residential development or commercial installation to the network - Upgrading overhead lines to higher capacity or converting them to underground cables - Testing and commissioning protection equipment - Tree trimming and vegetation management work near live lines

DEDDIE is required by regulatory rules to notify affected customers in advance of scheduled outages. Notification typically takes the form of announcements in local media and on the DEDDIE website (deddie.gr → Scheduled Outages section), and in some cases, direct notices to affected buildings.

Unscheduled Outages: Faults and Emergencies

An unscheduled outage occurs without advance notice, caused by equipment failure, damage from external events, or human error. These are the outages that residents typically think of when they hear "power cut."

Categories of unscheduled faults: - Equipment failures (transformer overload and burnout, cable insulation breakdown) - External damage (vehicle impact with pole, construction damage to underground cable, animal contact with medium-voltage line) - Weather-related damage (fallen tree branches, wind damage to overhead lines, lightning strikes) - Grid switching errors or protection system operations

The key difference from a resident's perspective: compensation for appliance damage under RAE Decision 1151A/2019 applies only to unscheduled faults — specifically to the neutral conductor interruption type of fault. Appliance damage during scheduled outages is not covered under this scheme, because residents were (in theory) given advance notice and had the opportunity to protect their equipment.

Finding Scheduled Outages Before They Happen

The DEDDIE Website: DEDDIE publishes scheduled outages at deddie.gr in a searchable database. You can search by prefecture and municipality to find planned outages in your area.

Outage.gr My Area and City Pages: We integrate DEDDIE's scheduled outage data daily into our platform. Planned outages near your location appear in the My Area section (with location access granted) and on each city's dedicated page. This gives you a single place to see both community-reported active outages and upcoming scheduled maintenance.

Local Media: For larger planned outages affecting many customers, DEDDIE typically sends notices to local newspapers and radio stations, which may publish announcements 24–48 hours in advance.

Direct Notification: Some DEAs (local DEDDIE offices) still conduct door-to-door or letter notification for scheduled outages in smaller communities. This practice varies by area.

What to Do When You Learn About a Scheduled Outage

Once you know an outage is planned for your area:

1. **Note the start and end times.** DEDDIE publishes expected restoration times for scheduled outages. Plan around them.

1. **Charge devices.** Scheduled outages give you the opportunity to charge everything before the work begins.

1. **Backup the refrigerator.** For outages expected to last more than four hours, consider transferring the most perishable items to ice bags or a cooler, or plan to consume them before the outage.

1. **Inform household members.** Particularly important if anyone works from home or has time-sensitive commitments.

1. **Unplug sensitive electronics.** Even scheduled outages can involve voltage irregularities when supply is restored. Unplugging computers, televisions, and audio equipment before the outage starts — and waiting five minutes after restoration before reconnecting — is good practice.

1. **Register vulnerable household members.** If anyone in your household is medically dependent on electricity, ensure they are registered with DEDDIE. DEDDIE provides advance personal notification to registered medically dependent customers.

Your Rights During Scheduled Outages

For scheduled outages, DEDDIE's regulatory obligations include: - Providing advance notice (the required notice period depends on the scope of the outage) - Beginning work at the announced start time and completing it by the announced end time - If work cannot be completed within the announced window, notifying customers and providing a revised end time

If a scheduled outage runs significantly longer than announced without adequate communication, residents can file a complaint with RAAEY (the Regulatory Authority for Energy). While compensation for appliance damage is not available for scheduled outages, you may be entitled to a bill credit if DEDDIE fails to meet its notice obligations.

For unscheduled outages, the full RAE 1151A/2019 compensation framework applies. See our compensation guide for the complete process.

How Outage.gr Helps

Our platform shows both types of outage in one place: - **Active unscheduled outages:** Community reports appearing on the live map in real time - **Upcoming scheduled outages:** DEDDIE maintenance data integrated from official sources, visible per city and in My Area

This combined view means you can see at a glance whether current reports in your area match a scheduled maintenance event (in which case it is expected and has a known end time) or whether it appears to be an unscheduled fault requiring a community report and a call to DEDDIE.