AdviceCentre™ Article

Plebble's Guide to Utility Compensation Payments

Did you know that if your utility company does not turn up for an appointment they may owe you £20? Utility providers have to meet minimum standards for all sorts of things. So many of us don't know what they are so we don't chase what we are owed.

Here is our Plebble Guide to electricity, gas and water compensation payments.

Electricity (Electricity Standards of Performance Regulations 2005)

Your electricity supplier (ie. the company to whom you pay the bill) must meet the following standards, otherwise they should automatically* give you a compensation payment (*unless otherwise stated below):

1. Meter Accuracy (EGS6): If either you or your supplier notices that your meter might be inaccurate (more than 2.5% above or less than 3.5% below an accurate reading) then the supplier must provide an explanation of the likely cause of the problem within 5 working days. If they need to visit to investigate, they must offer an appointment within 7 working days. Compensation=£20.

2. Prepayment meter problems (EGS7): if you inform your supplier that your prepayment meter is not working as it should be between 8am and 8 pm on a weekday or between 9am and 5pm at a weekend, then the supplier must send someone to repair or replace the meter within 4 hours. They have to come within 4 hours no matter how much credit you still have on the meter. Compensation=£20.

3. Keeping Appointments (EGS8 Non Metering Appointments, EGS8A Metering Appointments): if you ask for a visit or if your supplier requests an appointment, they must offer you an appointment within a 2-hour window. If you are happy, they can offer you a morning appointment up to 1pm or an afternoon appointment after 12pm, but this must be with your agreement. They then have to keep to the appointment time. This includes ensuring that the person they send has the skills and equipment to do the job. If the person doesn't, then the appointment has not been met and they owe compensation.Compensation=£20.

Your electricity distributor (ie. the company who actually operates the delivery of your electricity – your electricity supplier will be able to tell you who this is and how to contact them) must meet the following standards:

1. Restoration of supply following a fault (GS2): your electricity distributor must restore your supply within 18 hours of being notified of a fault. This includes following a severe weather event, athough in this case there are exemptions which may apply. Note that you must actively make a claim to the distributer to get this compensation. Compensation=£50 plus £25 for every further 12 hours without supply.

2. Multiple Interruptions (GS2A): if your supply goes down for more than 3 hours 4 or more times in a financial year (1 April to 31 March), then you can claim for compensation. You must actively make a claim within 3 months of the year ending (ie. before 30 June). Compensation=£50.

3. Quoting for new connection or alteration of existing supply (GS3): your distributor should visit within 5 working days for simple jobs and 15 working days for most others. Compensation=£40.

4. Notice of planned interruptions to supply (GS4): your distributor must give you a minimum of 2 days notice before interrupting your supply. If they don't or they interrupt your supply on the wrong day, you can make a claim. Compensation=£20.

5. Voltage problems (GS5): if you contact your distributor regarding problems with your voltage, they should offer to visit within 7 days or give you a substantive reply to the problem within 5 days. Compensation=£20.

6. Keeping appointments (GS8): if an appointment is necessary your distributor must make an appointment for the morning (up to 1300), afternoon (after 1200) or, if you specifically request it, within a 2 hour time window – ie. if it's inconvenient, you don't have to accept having to stay in all morning – simply request a 2 hour appointment slot. They must keep to the appointment time agreed. Compensation=£20.

7. Payments due under Guaranteed Standards (GS9): your distributor should pay the compensation within 10 working days of you making your claim in the case of GS2, GS2A and GS4. For GS3, GS5 and GS8, your distributor should pay your compensation automatically. If they don't pay within 10 working days, you may be entitled to a further compensation payment. Compensation=£20.

Gas (Standards of Performance Regulations 2005)

Your gas supplier (ie. the company to whom you pay the bill) must meet the following standards, otherwise they should automatically* give you a compensation payment (*unless otherwise stated below):

1. Meter Accuracy: if you or your supplier notices that your meter may be inaccurate, your supplier must either provide a written explanation for the problem within 5 working days or offer to visit within 7 working days. Compensation=£20.

2. Prepayment meter problems: if you inform your supplier that your prepayment meter has a fault between 8am and 8 pm on a weekday or between 9am and 5pm at a weekend, then the supplier must send someone to repair or replace the meter within 4 hours. Compensation=£20.

3. Keep Appointments: you supplier must offer you an appointment within a 2 hour time slot or a morning (up to 1300) or afternoon (after 1200) slot. They must then keep to this appointment slot. Compensation=£20.

4. Payments due under Standards: if your gas supplier breaches any of the above, they must tell you that they owe compensation and pay it within 10 working days. If they don't you may be entitled to a further payment. Compensation=£20.

Your gas transporter (ie. the company who actually operates the delivery of your gas) must meet the following standards. Your gas supplier will be able to confirm who you gas transporter is but broadly speaking it is 'Scotland Gas Networks' for Scotland, 'Northern Gas Networks' for North-East England and Cumbria, 'NationalGrid' for East & West Midlands and most of North-West England, 'Wales and West' for Wales, South-West England and West England and 'Southern Gas Networks' for southern England (contact details below).

1. Supply Restoration (GS1): if you are a domestic customer and your gas supply is interrupted because of a fault or damage to a pipeline, then your gas transporter must reconnect you within 24 hours. Compensation=£30 with £30 for every additional 24 hours without gas up to a maximum of £1,000 (compensation for non-domestic customers is more).

2. Reinstatement after engineering work (GS2): if your gas transporter needs to cut off your gas to carry out engineering work, they must reinstate your supply within 5 days of the work finishing. Compensation=£50 with £50 for every additional 5 days without gas (compensation for non-domestic customers is more).

3. Heating & cooking facilities for vulnerable customers (GS3): if you are registered on your supplier's Priority Service Register and your gas supply is interrupted for any reason, your gas transporter must provide you with alternative heating and cooking facilities within 4 hours, or if more than 250 customers are affected, within 8 hours (unless it's between 8pm and 8am). If your gas transporter fails to do this, you must actively make a claim for compensation within 3 months of the failure. Compensation=£24.

4. Notification of planned interruptions to supply (GS13): if your gas transporter needs to interrupt your supply to carry out work then they should give you a minimum of 5 days notice and explain the reason why. If they don't, you must actively inform them of their failure and make a claim within 3 months. Compensation=£20 (£50 for non-domestic customers)

5. Responding to complaints (GS14): if you complain to your gas transporter in writing or by telephone, they must respond substantively within 10 working days of receiving your complaint, unless they need to arrange a visit to your property to investigate. In this case, they must give you an initial response within 10 days and then a substantive response within 20 days. Compensation=£20 plus £20 for every additional 5 days with no response up to £100 max.

6. Payments due under Guaranteed Standards (GS12): unless it is a standard where you have to actively claim for compensation, the gas transporter has to inform you when they fail a standard and pay the compensation within 20 working days. Otherwise, they have failed this standard and they could owe more compensation. NB. GS1, GS2, GS3, GS12 payments may be paid to you via your gas supplier who must pass them on. GS4-GS11 will always be paid directly to you.Compensation=£20.

Gas Transporters also have to meet a set of standards when you ask for a new connection or for your service to be altered. Click here to download a word doc with more information. Scroll down to the section entitled 'Connections Guaranteed Standards.

Addresses for UK Gas Transporters:

National Grid http://www.nationalgrid.com: Customer Support Team, National Grid, Lakeside House, The Lakes, Northampton, NN4 7HD (customersupport@uk.ngrid.com)

Northern Gas Networks http://northerngas.co.uk: 1100 Century Way, Thorpe Park Business Park, Colton, Leeds, LS15 8TU (tel: 0191 5014360)

Scotland Gas Networks http://www.scotiagasnetworks.co.uk: 2nd Floor, Inveralmond House, 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 3AQ (0845 0260015; customerserviceScotland@scotiagasnetworks.co.uk)

Wales & West http://www.wwutilities.co.uk: Wales & West House, Spooner Close, Celtic Springs, Coedkernew, Newport, NP10 8FZ (tel: 0870 1650597; enquiries@wwutilities.co.uk)

Southern Gas Networks http://www.scotiagasnetworks.co.uk: 2nd Floor, Inveralmond House, 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 3AQ (0845 0260015; customerserviceSouthern@scotiagasnetworks.co.uk)

Water (Guaranteed Standards of Service)

If you are a domestic customer, your water provider must meet the following standards. If you are a business customer, you may be entitled to slightly more compensation. Click here for more information.

1. Making appointments (GSS 6): if your water provider needs to come to your property, they must make an appointment with you for either the morning or afternoon and must give you the times it considers it to be morning and afternoon. If they fail to do this, they should automatically pay a compensation payment within 10 days. If they fail to pay, you can also claim for an additional penalty payment as long as you have claimed for it within 3 months of the original payment being due. Compensation=£20 (£10 penalty for late payment).

2. Keeping appointments (GSS 6): your provider must keep to the appointment arrangement or, if they need to cancel, must give you a minimum of 24 hours notice. If they don't then they should pay compensation automatically within 10 days. If they fail to pay, you can claim for an additional penalty payment as long as you have claimed for it within 3 months of the original payment being due. Compensation=£20 (£10 penalty for late payment).

3. Low water pressure (GSS 10): your provider must maintain a minimum water pressure of 0.7 bar. If the pressure falls below this on at least 2 occasions for more than 1 hour within a 28-day period, then your provider must pay compensation automatically. However, if they have already made a payment for this in the same financial year, if the pressure falls due to drought or maintenance work or they could not have reasonably identified which customer was affected and the customer did not notify them, then they don't have to pay. Compensation=£25.

4. Notification of planned interruption of supply (GSS 8): if your provider needs to carry out work which means your water will be severely interrupted or cut off for more than 4 hours, then they must give you at least 48 hours notice in writing, including specifying a time when the water will come back on. If they don't do this, then they should pay compensation automatically within 20 days. If they fail to pay, then you can claim for a late payment penalty, but you must claim within 3 months of the original payment being due. Compensation=£20 (£20 penalty for late payment).

5. Failure to restore supply on time (GSS 9): if your supply is not restored on time according to your provider's notification (see GSS 8), or your supply is not restored within 48 hours of your provider being made aware of an emergency interruption caused by a leak in the mains, or your supply is not restored within 12 hours of your provider being made aware of an emergency interruption caused for another reason, then they must automatically pay compensation within 20 working days. If they don't, then you can claim an additional penalty for late payment within 3 months. Compensation=£20 (£20 penalty for late payment and £10 compensation for every further 24 hours that the supply is not restored).

6. Account queries and change to payment method requests (GSS 7): if you query something on your account in writing, then your provider must give you a substantive reply within 10 working days from receiving your letter. If you request in writing a change to your payment method, your provider must respond within 5 working days from receipt of your letter. If they fail to do either of these, they must automatically make a compensation payment within 10 working days. If they don't you can claim a late payment penalty within 3 months. Compensation=£20 (£10 penalty for late payment).

7. Failure to respond to written complaints (GSS 7): if you complain to your provider in writing about your water supply, they must reply substantively within 10 working days of receiving your letter. If they don't, they should automatically pay compensation within 10 working days. If they don't, you can claim for a late payment penalty within 3 months. Compensation=£20 (£10 penalty for late payment).

Disputes: if you are having a problem getting a compensation payment from your provider, contact Ofwat, who will decide whether the payment is due. Ofwat's final decision is binding.

Exclusions

All of the above are subject to “exclusions” - ie. circumstances where the company may not have to pay compensation. These include severe weather, inability to gain access, safety issues, industrial action, action by a third party or action by the customer. However, in all cases, it is up to the company to show that they did everything they reasonably could to meet the standard. If they can't show this, they should make the payment.

Sources and Further Information:

Consumer Focus information on Electricity and Gas Guaranteed Standards (put 'Guaranteed Standards' in the keyword search)

BBC Watchdog article on Guaranteed Standards

Ofwat information on Water Guaranteed Standards of Service

If you have a problem with your utility provider, take a look at Plebble's Guide to How to complain about your energy provider.

Rate these businesses/organisations:

• Electricity Companies on Plebble.com
• Gas Companies on Plebble.com
• Water Companies on Plebble.com

Posted by Plebble Admin at 12:34 on 30-Jul-2009