Most of us rely on electricity and water every day without giving it a second thought.
So, when these essential services are unexpectedly interrupted, it can quickly affect everything: from cooking and heating to working from home, or caring for family members.
Although outages are sometimes unavoidable, the utility sector as a whole is heavily regulated in the UK, thanks to organisations such as Ofgem and Ofwat. This means utility providers generally have responsibilities when it comes to restoring services, communicating with customers, and handling complaints.
Understanding your rights can help you know what to expect – and what steps to take if you believe your provider hasn’t met its obligations.
Read on to find out more!
What Rights do you have during an Outage?
As a customer, you have the right to raise concerns if you believe your utility provider has not met its obligations.
For example, you may wish to complain if:
- You were not given appropriate notice of a planned service interruption
- Communication during the outage was poor or unclear
- You believe the outage was not managed appropriately
- You think you are entitled to compensation that has been refused or incorrectly assessed
In the UK, your rights during a utility outage depend on which utility is affected (electricity, gas, water, broadband, etc.), what caused the outage, and who provides the service. We always recommend that you check your utility provider’s own published guidance if you want to know the in-depth rules.
However, here’s a general overview of the kinds of rights you may have depending on the outage:
Power Cuts
If your electricity supply fails because of a fault on the local network (rather than inside your home), your local network operator is usually the one responsible for restoring service.
You may be entitled to compensation under guaranteed standards in some situations, such as:
- The outage lasted longer than the time limits set by the regulator
- The network operator fails to restore supply within the required period
- They fail to provide required information or meet other service standards
If the outage is due to exceptional circumstances (such as major storms), different rules may apply.
Water Outages
Water companies have obligations to provide a continuous supply except where interruptions are unavoidable.
If your water supply is interrupted for an extended period due to the water company’s operations, you may:
- Be entitled to compensation if guaranteed standards are not met
- Receive alternative water supplies (such as bottled water or water bowsers) during prolonged outages, particularly where health could be affected
The exact standards vary depending on the circumstances.
Compensation
It’s important to remember: Compensation isn’t automatic in every case! It depends on:
- The type of utility
- The duration of the outage
- Whether the company met its legal or regulatory obligations
- Whether exceptional circumstances (such as severe weather) applied
If You’re a Vulnerable Consumer:
If you or someone in your household is vulnerable (e.g. due to age, disability, or reliance on electrically powered medical equipment) you should consider registering for your utility company’s Priority Services Register (PSR). Registration can provide additional support during outages, such as priority communication and welfare assistance, though it does not guarantee uninterrupted service.
What Should Your Utility Provider Do?
Utility providers are responsible for maintaining their networks and restoring services as safely and quickly as possible when an outage occurs.
Depending on the circumstances, they should also:
- Inform customers about planned interruptions where possible
- Respond to reports of faults or outages
- Keep customers updated on the progress of repairs
- Restore services as soon as it is safe and practical to do so
What Should You Do During a Power Cut or Water Outage?
No one wants to experience a utility outage. But if you find yourself in that unfortunate situation, don’t panic. Your provider is there to help you.
The first logical steps to take in this situation are to try and get help, and to find out what’s gone wrong:
- Report the issue to your utility provider if it hasn’t already been logged
- Check your provider’s service updates for information about the outage
Once you’ve done the above, you should think about what you can do to document the issue, in case you want to lodge a complaint later:
- Keep a record of when the interruption started and when service was restored
- Save any emails, text messages, or letters you receive from your provider
- Keep receipts for any reasonable costs you incur as a result of the outage, where appropriate
These records can be crucial if you want to pursue compensation later – take it from us, we run an ADR service!
What If You’re Unhappy With the Provider?
If you don’t believe your provider has handled the outage appropriately, your first step should be to follow their formal complaints process.
Many complaints can simply be resolved directly once the provider has had the opportunity to investigate and respond.
However, if you’re unable to reach an agreement – or your provider issues a deadlock letter – your complaint may be eligible for escalation via an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service, or court.
ADR is usually seen as the pre-court option as it’s faster, less formal, and cheaper! What’s more, though ADR usually offers a legally binding outcome, it doesn’t necessarily rule out the option of taking the utility provider to court later anyway.
For regulated complaints (which includes most energy and water complaints), the 2 main ADR schemes you should take your complaint to are:
PLEASE NOTE:
UtilitiesADR does NOT deal with regulated utility complaints. If your complaint relates to your regulated water or energy supply, you should take it to the 2 schemes named above, rather than to us!
Not sure what the difference between regulated and non-regulated utility complaints is? Please see our dedicated article on this: Regulated VS Non-Regulated Utility Complaints: What’s the Difference?
However, if your utility complaint IS non-regulated, we’re also here to help!
UtilitiesADR offers an independent, FREE, and impartial service, helping consumers and utility providers reach a fair outcome for their non-regulated utility disputes, without the need for court proceedings.
It only takes us 60 Days from declaring a Complete Complaint File to issue a Determination on your case – and, what’s more, the outcome is legally binding if you choose to accept it!
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