How to claim power cut compensation
The money comes from your electricity network operator, the company that owns the wires, not from the supplier that sends your bill. Most payments arrive on their own. If yours has not, here is who to ask.
What to do
- Wait a few weeks after the power comes back. Operators pay automatically where they can identify you. The payment may arrive as a cheque, a bank transfer, or a credit through your supplier's account or prepayment meter.
- If nothing arrives, ask the operator. Do it within 3 months of the day the power came back. If you are on the Priority Services Register there is no time limit. Call 105 from any phone, free, and you are put through to your operator, or use the links below.
- Have these ready: your address and postcode, the date and time the power went off and came back, and the operator's incident reference if you have it (the right now page shows them).
- Not paid within 10 working days of the operator knowing? They owe a further £40. If you disagree with a decision, use the operator's complaints process; after eight weeks, or a deadlock letter, the Energy Ombudsman (0330 440 1624) can look at it.
Which operator covers you
Your electricity bill names the operator, or use the Energy Networks Association's postcode finder. The six operators and the regions they cover:
- UK Power Networks: London, the South East and the East of England
- National Grid Electricity Distribution: the East and West Midlands, South Wales and the South West
- Northern Powergrid: the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire
- SSEN Distribution: the north of Scotland and central southern England
- SP Energy Networks: central and southern Scotland, Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and North Shropshire
- Electricity North West: the North West of England
UK Power Networks
- Covers
- London, the South East and the East of England
- Claim or ask
- UK Power Networks: compensation and power cuts
- Report a cut
- UK Power Networks' power cut page, to report a cut or check on one. In a big storm the phone lines can be very busy, so try the website if you cannot get through.
- Phone
- 0800 029 4285, or 105
- Live data
- This site reads UK Power Networks' open feed (CC BY 4.0).
National Grid Electricity Distribution
- Covers
- the East and West Midlands, South Wales and the South West
- Claim or ask
- National Grid Electricity Distribution: compensation and power cuts
- Report a cut
- National Grid Electricity Distribution's power cut page, to report a cut or check on one. In a big storm the phone lines can be very busy, so try the website if you cannot get through.
- Phone
- 0800 096 3080, or 105
- Live data
- This site reads National Grid Electricity Distribution's open feed (NGED Open Data Licence).
Northern Powergrid
- Covers
- the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire
- Claim or ask
- Northern Powergrid: compensation and power cuts
- Report a cut
- Northern Powergrid's power cut page, to report a cut or check on one. In a big storm the phone lines can be very busy, so try the website if you cannot get through.
- Phone
- 0800 011 3332, or 105
- Live data
- This site reads Northern Powergrid's open feed (Northern Powergrid Open Data Licence v1.0).
SSEN Distribution
- Covers
- the north of Scotland and central southern England
- Claim or ask
- SSEN Distribution: compensation and power cuts
- Report a cut
- SSEN Distribution's power cut page, to report a cut or check on one. In a big storm the phone lines can be very busy, so try the website if you cannot get through.
- Phone
- 0800 048 3515 (north) or 0800 048 3516 (south), or 105
- Live data
- This site reads SSEN Distribution's open feed (CC BY 4.0).
SP Energy Networks
- Covers
- central and southern Scotland, Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and North Shropshire
- Claim or ask
- SP Energy Networks: compensation and power cuts
- Report a cut
- SP Energy Networks' power cut page, to report a cut or check on one. In a big storm the phone lines can be very busy, so try the website if you cannot get through.
- Phone
- 0330 1010 444, or 105
- Live data
- This site reads SP Energy Networks' open feed (CC BY 4.0). Its feed lists postcode sectors but not how many customers each cut affects.
Electricity North West
- Covers
- the North West of England
- Claim or ask
- Electricity North West: compensation and power cuts
- Report a cut
- Electricity North West's power cut page, to report a cut or check on one. In a big storm the phone lines can be very busy, so try the website if you cannot get through.
- Phone
- 0800 1954 141, or 105
- Live data
- This site reads Electricity North West's open feed (CC BY 4.0). Its feed gives each cut as a point on a map, with no postcodes, so the postcode check cannot find its cuts. They are on the right now page, named after the nearest postcode district.
On a smaller network?
Some newer estates are connected by an independent network operator (an IDNO) rather than one of the six above. The same standards apply. Your bill or the postcode finder will name them; the regional operator can also tell you.
Northern Ireland has its own operator, NIE Networks, and its own rules, which this site does not cover.
Phone numbers and claim links checked on against the operators' April 2026 scheme documents, and the links to report a cut on . Corrections are welcome.