Ofgem, the industry regulator, sets Customer Guaranteed Standards. If we fail to meet these Standards, you are entitled to receive a payment. Depending upon the circumstances, we may pay you directly or arrange for your supplier to pay you.
EGS - Electricity Guaranteed Standards
If you think we have failed a Guaranteed Standard, please tell us so that we can investigate. We will tell you the outcome within 10 working days. There may be circumstances where the Guaranteed Standards do not apply, such as severe weather.
Customers must claim payments for EGS2, EGS2A, EGS4 and EGS11. We will arrange automatic payments for the other Guaranteed Standards. If you have any questions please contact us.
EGS 1 - Distributor's fuse
If the main fuse between our supply cable and your meter fails, we will visit you within three hours on weekdays if you call us between 7am and 7pm. On weekends and bank holidays we will visit within four hours if you call us between 9am and 5pm.
If you call us outside these times, we will treat your call as is we had received it at the start of the next working day.
If we do not meet the standard, we will arrange for you to receive £20.
EGS 2 - Supply restoration during normal weather
If your electricity supply fails during normal weather conditions becuase of a problem with our distribution system, we will work hard to get the power back on as quickly as possible.
However, if it takes more than 18 hours, we will pay you £50 if you are a domestic customer and £100 if you are a business cusotmer. You will also receive a further £25 for each additional 12 hours you are without supply.
EGS2a - Multiple interruptions
If your electricity supply fails becuase of a problem on our distribution system and you are without power for three hours or more, on four or more different occasions in any single year (12 month period) starting on 1 April, you are entitled to a £50 payment. The payment is the same whether you are a domestic or business customer.
You must make a valid claim for this payment within thee months of the end of the year to which the claim applies. In order for us to verify your claim, you must provide us with the address of the premises affected and the dates of the electricity supply failures.
EGS 3 - Estimate of charges for connection
If you ask us for a new or additional low voltage electricity connection for developments of 4 propertis or fewer, or an alteration to an existing electricity connection we will give you a written estimate on receiving from you the relevant and correct information:
- within 5 working days if no extension/alteration to the distribution system is required; or
- within 15 working days if an extension/alteration is required
If we take longer, we will arrange for you to receive £40.
EGS4 - Notice of planned supply interruption
If we need to switch off your power to work on our networks, we will give you at least two days' notice, unless the work is for emergency repairs. Where possible, we try to give 5 days' notice.
If we do not give you the required notice, or we switch your electricity off on a different day, then you can claim (within one month of the failure) £20 if you are a domestic customer and £40 if you are a business customer.
EGS 5 - Voltage complaints
If you report a problem with the voltage of the electricity to your property , we will send you an explanation within five working days or offer to visit you to investigate within seven working days.
If we fail , we will arrange for you to receive £20.
EGS 8 - Appointments
If we need to come into your property , or you ask us to visit, we will agree a date and time with you. We will offer to visit on week days either:
- In the morning between 7am and 1pm; or
- In the afternoon between miday and 7pm; or
- within an agreed two our period
If we fail to make or keep an appointment , we will arrange for you to receive £20.
EGS 9 - Notification of payment under Guaranteed Standards
We will notify you, or your supplier, of any Guaranteed Standards that we have failed to meet (other than those for which you have to make a claim for payment). In any case, we will send your payment directly to you within 10 working days of becoming aware of the failure except in the case of EGS11 (Regulation 6), Supply Restoration during Severe Weather, when we will issue payment as soon as is reasonably practical.
If we fail to notify you, or your supplier, or fail to send a payment within the relevant timescale, we will arrange for you to receive an additional £20.
EGS 11 - Supply restoration during severe weather
If your electricity supply fails becuase of a problem on our distribution system due to severe weather, we will restore it within the period prescribed by the Electricity Regulations 2005, dependent upon the scale of the event:
Category 1 (Medium events)
Lightning events - when we experience at least eight times the normal amount of faults in one day - supplies will be restored within 24 hours
Non-lightning events - when we experience between eight and 13 times the normal amount of faults in one day - supplies will be restored within 24 hours
Category 2 (Large events)
Non-lightning events - when we experience at least 13 times the normal amount of faults in one day - supplies will be restored within 48 hours.
Category 3 (Very large events)
Any severe weather events where at least 35% of exposed customers are affected - supplies will be restored within a period as calcualted using a formula based on the number of customers affected (as set out in the Electricity Regulations 2005)
If we fail and you make a claim within three months of the date the supply is restored , we will arrange for you to receive £25 (for both domestic and business customers). You will receive a further £25 for each additional 12 hours you are without supply. The maximum payment you will receive total £200. These payments will be made as soon as reasonably practicable.