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8 minute read
Compensation for powercuts
Written by Ellie Hughes, marketing campaign manager
With storms causing major disruption across the country, we know some customers have been impacted by power cuts caused by the bad weather.
We’ve pulled together a quick guide to point you in the direction of what you’re entitled to from your energy network provider.
Am I entitled to claim compensation?
Normally your electricity network operator has 24 hours to restore your power supply if it fails due to a storm – but after more severe storms, they can increase this deadline to 48 hours. Increasing the deadline depends on the number of supply faults they experienced in 24 hours due to the storm.
Generally, you’re entitled to claim:
- £70 if the power was off for 24 hours, or 48 hours if the deadline was increased to restore power
- £70 for each additional period of 12 hours – this is usually capped at £700. However, there have been exceptions such as after Storm Arwen in November 2021.
Who can I claim compensation from?
Your electricity network operator (rather than your electricity supplier who sells electricity to you) is responsible if there’s a power cut – this is who you can claim compensation from.
You can find out who your electricity network operator is by looking at the bill you get from your electricity supplier, or you can use your postcode to find them using this online tool.
How long do I have to claim?
You have three months to claim.
Here’s how to claim.
- Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks - how to claim compensation.
- Northern PowerGrid - Call 0800 011 3332 to make a claim
- Electricity North West - Guaranteed standards payment.
- SP Energy Networks - Call 0330 10 10 444 to find out who to claim
- UK Power networks - Can I claim for compensation if I have a powercut?
- Western Power. To make a claim call: 0800 055 6833 or by email: complaints@westernpower.co.uk
We hope you’ve found this information helpful, and remember if you’re worried about staying warm and well in the colder months, we’ve pulled together some advice on getting winter-ready and a list of organisations who can help you with budgeting and health.