AED Buying Guide

Every AED sold in Ireland has to meet the same EU medical device standard, so the real choice isn't "good vs bad" — it's which features fit your setting. Before comparing models, it helps to answer a few questions:

• Who is likely to use it — trained first-aiders, or anyone nearby in an emergency?
• Could a child ever need treatment?
• Will it live indoors, or does it need to survive outdoors?
• Do you need usage data and reporting (e.g. for a workplace safety file), or is a simple device enough?

For the legal side of AEDs at work, see our AED Compliance guide. For the case for having one at all, see Why Every Workplace Needs an AED.

Most workplace and community buyers choose semi-automatic, since it keeps a person in the loop for the final step and can feel less daunting to a first-time user. Fully-automatic suits settings that want to remove that decision entirely from an untrained bystander.

Some models also offer CPR feedback — a sensor in the pads that gives real-time guidance on compression depth during use — worth asking about if hands-on coaching during an emergency matters to you.

If your setting could ever involve a child in that age or weight range — schools, crèches, GAA and sports clubs with underage teams, family-facing venues — check that your chosen model has a paediatric option, and budget for it as a separate item at purchase.

An AED kept indoors can usually sit in a simple wall bracket or unheated cabinet. Outdoor placement — a GAA clubhouse wall, a rural community hall, a business exterior — normally means a dedicated outdoor cabinet, and access-controlled cabinets are worth considering anywhere the device needs to be reachable outside opening hours.

⚡ Heated outdoor cabinets require a 240V mains supply — installation by a registered electrician, not included. Solar-powered cabinets don't have this requirement. See our range of AED Cabinets for the options.

The purchase price isn't the whole cost — pads and batteries expire on a fixed clock and need replacing whether the device is used or not. As a rough guide, pads typically need replacing around every 2 years and batteries around every 4 to 5 years, though this varies by brand and model.

For the full battery and pad lifespan table by brand, see our AED Maintenance Guide. Register your AED with AED Guardian — our free tracking service — and we'll remind you at 90, 60 and 30 days before anything expires, so replacement costs never come as a surprise.

VAT: AEDs are zero-rated for VAT (0%) in Ireland, along with pads, batteries and AED-specific accessories.

For the fuller legal and compliance picture — the underlying law, HPRA and workplace duties — see our AED Compliance guide.

Semi-automatic or fully-automatic AED — which do I need?

There's no legal requirement either way. Semi-automatic devices prompt the rescuer to press a shock button; fully-automatic devices deliver the shock themselves once a shockable rhythm is detected. Most workplace and community buyers choose semi-automatic, since it keeps a person in control of the final step, but both are equally valid choices under Irish and EU rules.

Does my AED need paediatric pads?

If children under roughly 8 years or 25kg may need to be treated — schools, crèches, sports clubs with underage teams — you need paediatric pads or a paediatric key for that model. Adult pads should not be used below that threshold without switching to paediatric mode.

How much does an AED cost to run over its lifetime?

Beyond the purchase price, budget for pad replacement roughly every 2 years and battery replacement roughly every 4 to 5 years, depending on brand and model. See our AED Maintenance Guide for a full battery and pad lifespan table by brand.

Do I have to register my AED?

There's no legal requirement to register an AED in Ireland, but it's strongly recommended — an unregistered AED is invisible to 112/999 dispatchers, who can only direct callers to devices on the National Ambulance Service's National AED Network. You register directly, free, in minutes.