Storm Arwen – Compensation for those Affected

Storm Arwen has been hard to hide from. There were very few areas in the UK that were left untouched by the storm as it passed its way through. Arwen had wind speeds of up to 100 miles per hour and temperatures reached as low as -10 degrees Celsius, felt across the country. What makes the situation so much worse is that the usual UK response to such severe weather would be to simply hunker down and turn on the heating, something that is not possible due to astronomical energy prices and many homes being damaged so severely that they have been left without energy. The storm has caused four deaths and well over 1 million UK residents being left with storm damage to their power networks.

For those who have been left without power (there are many) due to the passing storm, there could be compensation available. If you think this could include you – keep on reading, as we will cover how to receive compensation for loss of power to your home, Storm Arwen’s progress, and what Ofgem is doing to help those disaffected.

Storm Arwen – How bad was it and what now?

Although causing chaos across the UK – the hardest hit areas by a slight margin have been in Scotland and the North of England. Three deaths have been recorded over late November from falling trees being blown over by the wind, with these occurring in Aberdeenshire, Cumbria, and Antrim, Northern Ireland. Further to this an unnamed vulnerable person also passed in the town of Rothbury, Northumberland. Although it is known that the unnamed person had underlying health conditions, it has been ascertained that the loss in power may have been a contributing factor to the death.

As the storm began to fizzle out – around 99% of the affected homes had managed to be reconnected back to the National Grid. The few that are still left without energy could be remunerated for the trouble. If you are one of them, the recent rule changes in regard to power loss compensation means your suffering won’t be in vain.

Two weeks without power

By the end of November, over 4,000 houses across Northern England and Scotland were left without power. By the 5th of December, this number was reported as being reduced to just 350 in Northern Scotland by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN). To remedy this SSEN dispatched over 700 field staff to reconnect these homes to the grid, even drafting in team members from other network operators to help out.

Ofgem Actions – Lifting the Cap

Ofgem are the energy watchdog for the UK, and they have recently conducted a review of the energy network operators’ responses to Storm Arwen. Although it is understood and recognised that the network operators have undoubtedly worked hard to restore power under some difficult conditions, there has been a slight adjustment of the rules around compensation. It is hoped that these changes will help those households who have been left without power for extended periods of time, compensating them proportionately for the inconvenience.

The specific rule that has been changed is the £700 cap that Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are required to pay out to households that have been left without energy. This change will thus allow energy users to be compensated £140 for every day without power in their homes, or a figure in this region. For houses hit the hardest by Storm Arwen there will be additional compensation on top of this figure, with Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) stating that almost 8,000 of their customers will receive an additional £150.

How to receive compensation for Storm Arwen?

For every household that was left without power for 48 hours or more, compensation is available to be claimed from their local network operator. For the first 48 hours without power £70 is able to be claimed, with every subsequent 12-hour period without electricity attracting another £70 in compensation. Additional compensation is applied to relatively few households, those that were without power for more than 6 and a half days – allowing network operators to surpass the previous £700 limit.

One of the most important things to note is that compensation is claimed through network operators and not Ofgem, with each operator running different mechanisms for making applications. If you do not know who your local network operator is then you can simply enter your postcode into the Energy Networks Association’s website.

If you haven’t claimed your compensation yet and are worried you’ve missed the cut off date, don’t worry – as this was an unplanned supply cut applicants have three months to claim their compensation.

Niccolo Gas – Keeping utility costs low 

At Niccolo Gas, we have a wide range of tariffs available – suiting every business type and industry. In our experience we have found that often customers cannot pay their energy bills as they are on the wrong contract to begin with. 

This is not something you have to worry about with us. 

Speak to Niccolo Gas today to find out how much money you could save!  

Phone: 0131 610 8868

Email: info@niccolo.co.uk

Webform: Click Here

We look forward to hearing from you!  

1 thought on “Storm Arwen – Compensation for those Affected”

  1. Pingback: Jak Uzyskać Odszkodowanie Za Utratę Dostawy Energii W Wyniku Cyklona Arwen? | The Energy Consultant

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