Power cut compensation: what this week’s storms mean for your rights
Storm Austen brought gusts of 76mph to the Isles of Scilly, 74mph to Aberporth and 71mph to Culdrose on Friday 23 October. Storm Boelo followed over the weekend, with amber wind warnings covering mainland Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England on Saturday night and Sunday, gusts of 60 to 70mph widely and up to 80mph on exposed coasts. The Met Office says another area of low pressure is on the way, and a wind warning is already in place for northern parts of the UK on Tuesday 27 October.
So this is not over. If your power goes this week, there is a set of rules on your side, and most people have never read them.
They are Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards of Performance, and they say how quickly your local network operator must get the power back on and what it owes you if it does not. Power cut compensation is paid automatically in most cases, by the network, not your supplier. Here are the three rights worth knowing before the lights go.
The short version
- In a storm, the payment is £90 once you pass the 24 or 48 hour mark, then £45 for every further 6 hours, capped at £2,235.
- In ordinary weather it is £100 for a home and £195 for a business, then £45 for each further 12 hours.
- Payment is automatic. You do not claim, with one exception.
- It comes from your network operator, not your energy supplier.
Right one: the network has a deadline to reconnect you
In normal conditions your network operator is working to a 12 hour deadline where fewer than 5,000 properties are affected, and 24 hours where more than 5,000 are.
Storms change that. Ofgem classes severe weather into two categories, and the categories are not the Met Office’s. Ofgem sets them by how many faults the weather causes on the high voltage network in a day. Category 1 is unusually bad weather causing at least 8 to 13 times the normal fault rate, and the restoration target becomes 24 hours. Category 2 is very severe weather causing at least 13 times the normal rate, and the target becomes 48 hours.
That is the single most useful thing to understand before you start counting hours. In a storm the clock you are measured against is longer, and so is the wait before any money is due. The rules cover England, Scotland and Wales.
How much power cut compensation can I get?
It depends entirely on whether Ofgem treats the weather as severe. Both sets of figures are below, and the full detail is on Ofgem’s power cut payments page.
| Situation (Ofgem rules, checked 26 October 2026) | Home | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Storm category 1: off for more than 24 hours | £90, then £45 per further 6 hours | Same |
| Storm category 2: off for more than 48 hours | £90, then £45 per further 6 hours | Same |
| Maximum in a storm, either category | £2,235 | £2,235 |
| Normal weather: fewer than 5,000 properties off for over 12 hours, or more than 5,000 off for over 24 hours | £100 | £195 |
| Each further 12 hours without power, normal weather | Extra £45 | Extra £45 |
| Maximum in normal weather where 5,000 or more properties are affected | £400 | £400 |
| More than four power cuts of at least 3 hours in a year (1 April to 31 March) | Extra £100, on claim | Extra £100, on claim |
Note what that means in practice this week. A home off supply for 14 hours in a category 1 storm is owed nothing yet, because the 24 hour mark has not passed. The same home off for 14 hours on a still day in November would be owed £100. The storm figures are lower at the start and more generous later, because the £45 steps come every 6 hours rather than every 12.
For ordinary cuts, Ofgem gives a worked example: a cut that should have been fixed in 12 hours but runs for 36 hours earns two extra £45 payments, so £90 on top of the £100. A cut with a 24 hour deadline that runs to 72 hours earns four extra payments, or £180 on top.
Gas has its own rules. Homes get £50 for a planned gas cut and £70 for every further 24 hours of an unplanned one. Businesses get £120 for planned or unplanned gas cuts. If the gas network does not give you 7 working days’ notice of planned work, that is another £40.
Right two: you do not have to claim, but you do have to check
Power cut compensation is paid automatically, by cheque, cash or bank transfer, or through your energy supplier as a credit on your account or prepayment meter. Ofgem says networks should first get everyone reconnected and then arrange payments, so a delay of a few weeks after a big storm is not unusual.
The exception is the “more than four cuts in a year” payment, which you must claim from your network operator, who decides whether it applies.
And if an automatic payment never turns up, chase it. If it has been a few months, contact the network directly. A missed payment can mean they owe you an extra £40 on top.
Three things you will not be paid for: blackouts caused by a national power shortage, damage to appliances, and low supply after the power comes back. Those are different complaints, and our guide to energy redress rights covers where to take them.
Right three: extra help if you are on the Priority Services Register
Network operators must offer extra support to customers on the Priority Services Register during planned and unplanned cuts. Ofgem gives the example of battery packs so people can keep phones or medical equipment running. What is offered varies by network, and being on the register does not bring extra power cut compensation, just extra help. If you are older, disabled, have a young child or rely on medical equipment, our Priority Services Register guide explains how to sign up. It is free and it takes minutes.
If the power goes this week
- Call 105, free from any phone, or use your network operator’s website. That reaches the people who fix the lines, and it starts the clock for compensation.
- Stay well clear of any fallen or damaged power lines and report them on 105, or 999 if there is an immediate danger to life.
- Note the time the power went off and came back. The payment is based on hours, so your own record helps if there is a dispute.
- Remember your broadband and digital landline will not work without power. Our broadband power cut checklist covers staying in touch.
One thing the storms will not change: your tariff
Power cut compensation comes from the network, whoever your supplier is, so there is no reason to stay with a supplier for the weather. The Do Nothing Default applies as much in bad weather as good. Ofgem’s price cap for Great Britain went up 4% from 1 October 2026, and whether a different deal would save you anything depends on your usage, but checking takes about a minute. Do it while the kettle is still working.
Frequently asked questions about power cut compensation
- Who pays power cut compensation?
- Your local electricity network operator, not your supplier. It may route the money through your supplier as a credit, but the obligation sits with the network.
- How much will I get if the power goes in a storm?
- £90 once you pass 24 hours in a category 1 storm or 48 hours in a category 2 storm, then £45 for every further 6 hours, up to £2,235. Below those thresholds, nothing is due under the storm rules.
- When does the clock start in a storm?
- The hours count from when the network became aware your power was off, which is why reporting on 105 matters. Short interruptions where the power comes back do not count towards the total.
- Do businesses get more than homes?
- For an ordinary cut, yes: £195 against £100 for the first payment. In a storm the £90 and £45 payments are the same for homes and businesses.
- Is there a cap on what I can be paid?
- Yes. £2,235 in a category 1 or 2 storm, and £400 in normal weather when 5,000 or more properties are affected.
- Does being on the Priority Services Register pay extra?
- No. It brings extra practical help, such as battery packs, but not a higher payment.
Sources
- Ofgem, “Check if you can get a payment for a power cut”. Source for every figure in this article: the £100 and £195 normal weather payments, the £45 steps, the £400 cap, the storm category definitions and their 24 and 48 hour targets, the £90 and £45 per 6 hours storm payments, the £2,235 storm cap, the four cuts a year rule, the gas payments, the £40 for a missed payment, and the Priority Services Register help.
- Met Office, “Warnings in place as Storm Boelo to impact UK”, 23 October 2026, updated 24 October 2026. Source for the Storm Austen gust figures, the Storm Boelo amber and yellow warning areas and wind speeds, and the further low pressure system with a wind warning for northern parts of the UK on Tuesday.
- Ofgem, “Energy price cap will rise 4% in October 2026”. Source for the price cap rise from 1 October 2026, which applies in Great Britain.
Checked 26 October 2026.
