Alarms and Insurance in Ireland

The vast majority of Irish homes still have alarms in them from years gone by and the new standard EN50131 only came into force in 2006.
Most insurance companies do not specifically require these older alarms to be up to the new standards for the purposes of home insurance discounts however you would have to check with your insurance company on exactly what they specifically require in order for you to receive a discount on your insurance.
For example, if they only require ‘a working burglar alarm’ then you are fine if you have an older system but just remember to set it!. However if they require ‘an alarm certified to standard EN50131’ then you will have to have either a new alarm installed or the old one upgraded plus you will have to have it re-certified EVERY YEAR which requires an annual service and maintenance contract.
In most cases insurance companies only require ‘a working alarm’ so you should be ok but check with your insurance company. In the case they require EN50131 then you may not bother with the discount at all as it costs more for the new alarm or upgrade plus the annual service and maintenance then you save on the discount.