We’re sorry for the disruption caused by Storm Austen
We know being without power can be difficult, particularly when a power cut lasts for a long time. We’re sorry for the disruption caused by Storm Austen and thank you for your patience while our teams worked to restore power.
If you were without power during Storm Austen, you may be entitled to reimbursement for eligible costs. Depending on how long you were without power, you may also be entitled to compensation.
What’s the difference between reimbursement and compensation?
Reimbursement is for eligible costs you’ve had to pay while you were without power, such as food, drink and emergency supplies. You’ll need to make a claim and provide your receipts.
Compensation is a Guaranteed Standards payment you may be entitled to because of how long you were without power. You don’t need to make a claim for this. We’ll identify eligible customers automatically.
Reimbursement for essential costs
What can I claim for?
You can claim reasonable costs for essential items such as:
Food and drink
- Meals from restaurants, cafés and takeaways
- Food bought from supermarkets
- Drinks, including bottled water, but not alcohol
Emergency supplies
- Torches and batteries
- Portable power or mobile phone chargers
- Fuel for heating, such as logs, kindling, generator fuel or LPG
- Camping stoves or thermos flasks
- Fans or cool packs needed to keep medication cool
Please keep your itemised receipts, as we’ll need these to process your reimbursement claim.
Reimbursement for alternative accommodation
If you’re registered for our Priority Services and were without power for more than 24 hours, you may also be able to claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation.
If your power cut is confirmed to have lasted for more than 48 hours, reimbursement for reasonable alternative accommodation costs is available to all affected customers.
You can claim eligible accommodation costs in the same way as other reimbursement costs.
Compensation for your power cut
Compensation is separate from reimbursement and is governed by the Guaranteed Standards of Service, set by energy regulator Ofgem.
Following Storm Austen, we’ll confirm which customers are eligible for a Guaranteed Standards payment based on the length and circumstances of their power cut.
Current Storm Austen guidance says customers do not need to contact us to claim compensation. Eligibility will be validated following the storm and compensation will be issued automatically to eligible customers.
You don’t need to make a compensation claim
If you’re eligible for compensation, we’ll contact you using the information we hold.
There’s no need to submit a compensation claim or contact us at this stage.
Support during a power cut
If you’re currently without power, we’re here to help. You can report or track a power cut, find practical advice, and find out about extra help available through our Priority Services. You can also call 105 free of charge to report a power cut or get information about an electricity network issue.
-
Extra help when you need it
Priority Services
Some people may need extra help before, during or after a power cut. Our Priority Services are free and can provide additional support based on your needs.
Find out what support is available and how to register.
-
How to stay prepared
Advice during a power cut
Find helpful advice on what to do during a power cut, including ways to stay safe and prepared while you wait for your power to be restored.
You can also find useful information to share with family, friends and neighbours who may need extra help.
-
Report or track a power cut
Power Track
Use Power Track to report a power cut or damage to our electricity network and check the latest information for your area.
If you’ve already reported a power cut, you can use Power Track to follow progress and see the latest updates.