Who actually pays — not your supplier
Compensation for power cuts comes from your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) — the company that owns the wires and substations in your area. You never chose them, you don’t pay them directly, and that’s exactly why this money goes unclaimed: people complain to their supplier, who has nothing to do with it.
- In a power cut, call 105 — the free national line that connects you straight to your network operator for updates and help.
- Find your DNO by postcode with the official Energy Networks Association finder — you’ll need them for any claim.
- Payments are made by bank transfer or cheque to the property — they can’t be credited to your energy bill, because the network operator isn’t your supplier.
Medically dependent on power? Sign up free first
If anyone in your home relies on powered medical equipment, is over state pension age, disabled, or has young children, join the
Priority Services Register — free, via your supplier or network operator. You get advance notice of planned cuts, priority support during outages — and crucially,
no time limit on compensation claims (everyone else gets 3 months).
How much a power cut is worth — the 2026/27 rates
These are the Guaranteed Standards payment amounts in force from 1 April 2026 (Ofgem upgrades them with inflation each April):
| Situation | You get |
|---|
| Unplanned cut, normal weather, under 5,000 homes affected | £100 after 12 hours + £45 per further 12 hours |
| Unplanned cut, normal weather, 5,000+ homes affected | £100 after 24 hours + £45 per further 12 hours, up to £400 |
| Storm category 1 (Ofgem-declared severe weather) | £90 after 24 hours + £45 per further 6 hours, capped at £2,235 |
| Storm category 2 (the most extreme events) | £90 after 48 hours + £45 per further 6 hours, capped at £2,235 |
| 4+ cuts in one year (each 3+ hours, 1 April–31 March) | Extra £100 — claim-only, within 3 months of the end of March |
| Planned cut without 2 days’ notice, or on the wrong day | £40 — claim-only, within 1 month |
The storm caps exist because of Storm Arwen (2021), when some homes were off for over a week — the post-Arwen reforms raised the severe-weather payments and the system now pays more the longer a storm outage drags on, up to the cap. Storm categories are set by Ofgem based on network damage — they are not the Met Office storm names.
Businesses
Non-domestic customers get higher base payments under the same standards (£195 for the normal-weather standards in 2026/27) — same routes, same network operator.
Automatic… until it isn’t. The claim windows.
- Normal-weather cuts: payment should arrive automatically within 10 working days of restoration. Not arrived? Contact your DNO and claim — and because they failed to pay automatically, claiming should add an extra £40 on top. Claim within 3 months (no limit on the Priority Services Register).
- Storm cuts: also automatic — allow around 4 weeks. Not paid? Claim within 3 months of the power coming back (again, no limit if you’re on the PSR).
- Four-cuts-in-a-year (£100): never automatic — your DNO doesn’t track this for you. Note the dates of every cut of 3+ hours, and claim within 3 months of the end of March. (Cuts that already triggered a payment that year don’t count twice, and notified planned cuts don’t count.)
- Planned cut, no proper notice (£40): claim-only, within 1 month of the cut starting.
- Turned down? Use the DNO’s complaints procedure, then escalate free to the Energy Ombudsman — our complaints guide walks the ladder.
Never pay anyone to claim this
There is no form worth paying for here — it’s a free phone call or web form to your network operator, and most payments are automatic anyway. Any site or firm offering to “handle your power cut claim” for a fee or a cut is taking money for nothing. Cold calls or texts about power cut refunds asking for bank details are scams — check anything odd with our
scam checker.
The honest bit about fridge & freezer food
Guaranteed Standards payments are fixed sums for losing supply — network operators generally do NOT pay for spoiled food after an ordinary power cut, so don’t budget on it. Some DNOs consider separate actual-loss claims where their negligence caused the cut, and home contents insurance sometimes covers freezer contents — check your policy before throwing receipts away.
Do this now
Had a cut of 12+ hours — or several 3-hour cuts since last April? Find your network operator with the postcode finder and check whether the automatic payment ever arrived. If not, claim today — the windows are short.
Anyone vulnerable in the house? Join the Priority Services Register tonight — free, five minutes, and it removes every claim deadline as well as getting you priority help in the next outage.
Northern Ireland
The Ofgem scheme covers England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks runs its own compensation arrangements with its own rates and windows — check current figures with NIE Networks directly.