Power cut compensation: how much you get
In England, Scotland and Wales, in normal weather your network operator owes your home £100 if the power is off for more than 12 hours, or 24 hours if one fault cut off 5,000 or more premises, plus £45 for every further 12 hours. In a severe storm the clock starts at 24 or 48 hours, then £45 for every further 6 hours, capped at £2,235. It's usually paid automatically. Northern Ireland has its own, lower payments, and you have to claim them.
How much you get in Great Britain
| When | Home | Business | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off for more than 12 hours (one fault affecting fewer than 5,000 premises) | £100 | £195 | £45 for each further 12 hours, no cap |
| Off for more than 24 hours (one fault affecting 5,000 or more premises) | £100 | £195 | £45 for each further 12 hours, up to £400 in all |
| Storm category 1: off for more than 24 hours | £90 | £90 | £45 for each further 6 hours, up to £2,235 |
| Storm category 2: off for more than 48 hours | £90 | £90 | £45 for each further 6 hours, up to £2,235 |
| Four or more cuts of 3 hours or more between 1 April and 31 March | £100 | £100 | You claim it, by the end of June |
| A planned cut with less than 2 days' notice, or on a different day | £40 | £80 | You claim it, within a month |
| The network operator pays you late | £40 | £40 | If it misses the deadline: normally 10 working days after it knows, or as soon as reasonably practicable after a storm |
From Ofgem's 2026 adjustments, which raised the amounts by 3.2% from 1 April 2026, and the Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015 as amended. Some network operators' own pages still show last year's figures.
When the clock starts
From when the network operator knows your power is off, not when the lights went out: it can learn from a call to 105, from another customer, or from its own systems. National Grid's network arm notes that "this timescale may be different to the time you were actually without power", and that it excludes times when the supply came back briefly.
Severe weather
The storm categories are the network operator's, not the Met Office's. They depend on how many faults the storm causes on the high-voltage network in a day: category 1 is at least 8 times the normal number in mainly lightning weather, or at least 8 but fewer than 13 times in other weather, and category 2 is 13 times or more in other weather. National Grid's network arm says severe weather "is not defined in relation to specific weather conditions such as wind speed".
Do you have to claim?
Usually not. Ofgem says "You will automatically be paid by your local network operator", by cheque, bank transfer or a credit to your energy account. Two payments you do have to claim: the one for four or more cuts in a year, and the one for a planned cut without proper notice. If an automatic payment hasn't arrived, contact your network operator in good time, because the claim deadline still applies: claim within three months of the power coming back: the regulations let an operator off paying a household that isn't on the Priority Services Register and hasn't claimed by then.
To find your network operator, call 105, the free power cut line. It isn't your energy supplier. If your smart meter is blank afterwards, see your smart meter after a power cut.
What isn't covered
Ofgem lists "blackouts caused by a national power shortage", "damage to electrical equipment or appliances" and "a low supply after a power cut". Food lost from a fridge or freezer isn't covered either: UK Power Networks says it's "not liable for any loss of fridge freezer contents" and points to home insurance. In big storms some operators also refund meals and accommodation as a goodwill payment, separate from the amounts above.
The Priority Services Register
A free register, run by suppliers and network operators, for people who need extra help in a power cut: those over state pension age, with young children, with a disability or a medical condition, and others. Ofgem says it brings "priority support in an emergency" and warning of planned cuts, but "You will not receive extra payments for being on a priority service register". Register through your network operator or your supplier.
Northern Ireland
NIE Networks' guarantees, as published: if your power isn't back within 24 hours, £50 for a home or £125 for a business, then £25 for every further 12 hours, and you must claim. The regulations give you one month after the power comes back; NIE's own page words the deadline differently, so claim promptly. There's no severe-weather payment, and NIE says that in severe weather the standards "may not apply". It owes £25 if it doesn't give 3 days' notice of a planned cut. The Utility Regulator decided in July 2026 to raise these, to £95 after 18 hours, but we couldn't confirm when the new rules take effect, so NIE's published amounts are the ones above. NIE Networks' guarantees.
Compensation won't keep the fridge on
£100 after 12 hours covers a fraction of a ruined freezer. To keep the essentials going through a long cut, see how long a fridge and freezer last and what a power station will run.
Sources: Ofgem: check if you can get a payment for a power cut, Ofgem's 2026 adjustments, the network operators' 2026 customer payment scheme, NIE Networks. A summary, not legal advice.