the usual meters used by the ESB are big ugly black Siemens ones, some of the more modern ones now incorporate remote digital meter reading systems.

Typically they're just a big ugly black box with horizontally rotating wheel & two rows of numbers.

They "enhance" the supply if there is serious electric heating (storage / underfloor) but generally electric heating is relatively rare in Ireland other than in a few "gold sheild homes" which were a 1980s ESB (PoCo) expirement.

Natural Gas / Pressure-jet oil heating is the norm.
Gas or Electric cooking (sometimes both.. Gas hob/electric oven or mixed hob) In rural areas a modern version of a big cast iron AGA type range which runs on natural gas / LPG / pressure-jet oil and provides 4 + ovens, cooking surfaces, heating via radiators and hot water is fairly common.

Also considering the current power crisis in Ireland the ESB is despearately trying to reduce consumption as they're at close to 100% safe capacity almost all of the time and are prevented by an EU competition directive from installing more generation capacity as they're supposed to be letting other people into the market. The new entrants are really arriving with too little too late.

a few stats:

2001:
Gross demand: 24224.1 MWh , Peak 4091 MWh
1998:
Gross demand: 20495 MWh , Peak 3436 MWh
1996:
Gross demand: 17734 MWh !!