Power cut compensation calculator
Work out what you’re owed for a long power cut from the official 2026/27 figures, then see who pays, the deadline for claiming and what to do if the money doesn’t arrive.
By Tom Calder · Figures checked 23 September 2026 · Sourced to Ofgem, the 2015 Regulations and NIE Networks
In England, Scotland and Wales, a normal power cut pays £100 once you’ve been off for more than 12 hours (24 hours if 5,000 or more homes and businesses are off), then £45 for each further 12 hours. In a storm, payments start at £90 after 24 hours (Category 1) or 48 hours (Category 2), then £45 for every 6 hours, up to £2,235. Your network operator pays, not your supplier: call 105. In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks pays £50 after 24 hours, then £25 per 12 hours, if you claim within a month.
The payments for 2026/27
These are the amounts for homes in England, Scotland and Wales from 1 April 2026. Ofgem uprates them with inflation (CPIH) every April. The clock starts when your network operator knew your power was off, and a cap, where there is one, includes the first payment.
| Situation | Off for more than | First payment | Then | Most you can get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal fault, fewer than 5,000 homes and businesses off | 12 hours | £100 | £45 per 12 hours | No cap |
| Normal fault, 5,000 or more homes and businesses off | 24 hours | £100 | £45 per 12 hours | £400 |
| Storm, Category 1 | 24 hours | £90 | £45 per 6 hours | £2,235 |
| Storm, Category 2 | 48 hours | £90 | £45 per 6 hours | £2,235 |
- Four or more cuts in a year: £100. If you lose power 4 or more times between 1 April and 31 March, each for 3 hours or longer, you can claim £100. It is never automatic: claim by 30 June after the year ends, with the address and the dates. Planned cuts you were told about, cuts caused by the national transmission grid or a power station, and cuts that earned their own payment don’t count.
- Planned work without notice: £40. The network must give you at least 2 days’ notice of the day. If it doesn’t, or cuts you off on a different day, claim within one month. Planned work that runs longer than the notice said doesn’t earn a payment.
- Late payment: £40. Once it knows it owes you, the network has 10 working days to pay. Storm payments only have to be made “as soon as reasonably practicable”.
Businesses get £195 rather than £100 as the first payment for a normal fault, and £80 for missing notice; the storm figures are the same for everyone.
Storm categories, explained
Storm payments start later because the network is repairing damage across a whole region at once. Each network operator sets the category for its own area, by comparing the faults the weather caused on its high-voltage network in 24 hours with its normal daily average. It isn’t the Met Office warning colour, and two neighbouring networks can give the same storm different categories.
- Category 1: at least 8 times the normal number of faults, but fewer than 13 times. A storm that is mainly lightning counts as Category 1 however many faults it causes. Payments start after 24 hours.
- Category 2: 13 times the normal number of faults or more. Payments start after 48 hours.
- Neither: if the weather didn’t reach Category 1 on your network, the normal rules apply, from 12 hours.
If you’ve read about a Category 3, it was removed in September 2023. Since November 2024 a Category 2 storm pays per 6 hours, the same as Category 1.
Who pays, and how to claim
The money comes from your distribution network operator, the company that runs the wires in your area, not from the supplier you pay your bill to. Call 105 free from any phone in England, Scotland or Wales and it puts you through. Most restoration payments are made automatically, by bank transfer, cheque or a credit to your electricity account through your supplier.
If nothing arrives, claim within 3 months of your power coming back on. After that, the network no longer has to pay if it couldn’t identify you or you didn’t claim, unless you’re on the Priority Services Register, when there’s no time limit. Keep a note of when your power went off and came back, and report a cut on 105 straight away: the clock starts when the network knew.
If you disagree with the network’s answer, use its complaints process, then the Energy Ombudsman. Ofgem can also make a formal decision on a disputed payment.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own rules, and lower payments. If NIE Networks doesn’t restore your power within 24 hours, you’re due £50 for a home (£125 for a business), then £25 for every further 12 hours. It isn’t automatic: claim on NIE Networks’ website within 1 month of the day of the cut. If it doesn’t pay within 10 working days, it owes a further £25. For planned work it must give you 3 days’ notice, or pay £25.
In severe weather, when faults on its high-voltage network run at more than 13 times normal, NIE Networks can apply an exemption and pay nothing. That is why no payments were due after Storm Éowyn in January 2025, when more than 285,000 homes and businesses lost power. In July 2026 the Economy Minister asked officials to bring forward proposals to remove the exemption; until the rules change, it stands. To report a cut in Northern Ireland, call 03457 643643.
When nothing is owed
- The cut ended before the first payment point: 12 hours for most faults.
- Blackouts caused by a national power shortage, rather than a fault on your local network.
- Planned work you were properly warned about, even if it overran.
- Some events the network couldn’t reasonably prevent, such as being unable to get access to its equipment, and homes on islands fed by an undersea cable when that cable fails.
- Homes supplied through a landlord’s private cable or a private network, rather than a licensed network operator.
- Damage to appliances and spoiled food: these payments don’t cover losses (see can a power cut damage appliances?).
These are fixed payments for the disruption: welcome, but they don’t cover what you lost. You never need a claims company to get them; claiming directly is free and takes a few minutes. The more useful step is the one before the next cut: know your network operator’s number, and if anyone at home relies on electricity for their health, join the Priority Services Register so you get help, not just a payment afterwards.
Common questions
How much compensation do you get for a power cut?
In England, Scotland and Wales, a normal power cut pays £100 once you’ve been off for more than 12 hours, then £45 for each further 12 hours. If 5,000 or more homes and businesses lost power in the same fault, payments start after 24 hours and stop at £400. In a storm it’s £90 after 24 hours (Category 1) or 48 hours (Category 2), then £45 for every 6 hours, up to £2,235. These are the figures from 1 April 2026.
How long does a power cut have to last for compensation?
More than 12 hours for a normal fault, or more than 24 hours if 5,000 or more homes and businesses are off. For storms, more than 24 hours in a Category 1 storm and more than 48 hours in a Category 2. In Northern Ireland, more than 24 hours. Separately, four or more cuts of 3 hours or longer in one year (1 April to 31 March) can earn £100 if you claim it.
Is power cut compensation paid automatically?
Usually, in England, Scotland and Wales: network operators pay most restoration payments without a claim. If nothing arrives, claim within 3 months of your power coming back on (there’s no time limit if you’re on the Priority Services Register). The repeated-cuts payment and the planned-work notice payment always need a claim. In Northern Ireland you have to claim from NIE Networks within 1 month of the day of the cut.
Who pays power cut compensation, my supplier or the network?
The network operator, the company that runs the local wires, not the supplier you pay your bill to. Call 105 free in England, Scotland and Wales to reach yours. In Northern Ireland it’s NIE Networks, on 03457 643643.
How do I find out which storm category it was?
Ask your network operator. It sets the category for its own area from the number of faults the weather caused on its high-voltage network in 24 hours, compared with its normal daily average. It isn’t the Met Office warning colour. The calculator shows what each category would pay if you don’t know.
What if my power cut compensation doesn’t arrive?
Once the network knows it owes you, it has 10 working days to pay; if it misses that, it owes a further £40. Storm payments only have to be made as soon as reasonably practicable, so there’s no fixed deadline. Chase it with the network operator, then use its complaints process and the Energy Ombudsman if you disagree with its answer.
Will I be paid for food or appliances damaged in a power cut?
Not through these payments: they are fixed amounts for the disruption, not for losses. You can ask the network operator for a goodwill payment towards a damaged appliance, with photos and receipts, but it doesn’t have to make one. Some home insurance policies cover freezer contents, so check yours. Taking a guaranteed-standards payment doesn’t stop you pursuing any other remedy.
Is there power cut compensation after a storm in Northern Ireland?
Usually not. When weather causes more than 13 times the normal number of high-voltage faults, NIE Networks can apply a severe-weather exemption and no payment is due. In July 2026 the Economy Minister asked officials to bring forward proposals to remove that exemption, but the rule hasn’t changed yet.
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Sources (13)
- Ofgem — Adjustments to the Guaranteed Standards of Performance: 202613 March 2026; payment amounts for 2026/27
- Ofgem — Guaranteed Standards of Performance payment update 2026, Annex 2letter to distribution licensees, 13 March 2026
- The Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/699), as amended — legislation.gov.uk
- The Electricity (Standards of Performance) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/984): storm categories and 6-hour Category 2 periods from 1 November 2024
- The Electricity (Standards of Performance) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/887): Category 3 removed, caps and yearly CPIH uprating from 1 September 2023
- Ofgem — Check if you can get a payment for a power cut
- The Guaranteed Standards of Performance Customer Payment Scheme (April 2026) — the network operators' standard statement of your rights, as published by National Grid Electricity Distribution
- Citizens Advice — Get compensation if you have a power cut (England)
- GOV.UK Prepare — Power cuts105 in England, Scotland and Wales; 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland
- NIE Networks — Our guarantees for customers (guaranteed standards)
- NIE Networks — When does an exemption to our guaranteed standards apply?
- Utility Regulator — Review of Electricity Guaranteed Standards of Service and Overall Standards of Performance, consultation (October 2025), chapter 8: the standards in force
- Department for the Economy — Written statement on the review of Electricity Guaranteed Standards of Service (22 July 2026): severe weather exemption unchanged for now
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