Power cut guide
Storm Power Cut Compensation Explained
Quick answer: If a storm cuts your power in England, Scotland or Wales, the network operator owes you £90 once you have been off for more than 24 hours in a Category 1 event, or more than 48 hours in a Category 2 event. After that you get £45 for every further 6 hours, up to a maximum of £2,235. Payments are usually automatic, so you rarely need to claim.
Is the power off where you are? See live power cuts from the network operators and reports from neighbours.
Storms cause the longest and most widespread power cuts in Britain, and the compensation rules change when the weather is severe. This guide explains the two storm categories in plain words, shows how the money adds up with worked examples, and tells you what to do if a storm payment never turns up.
Why storm compensation works differently
In normal weather, network operators are expected to get you back on within 12 hours, or 24 hours for a single fault affecting 5,000 or more homes. In a big storm, faults happen across a whole region at once. Trees bring down overhead lines, poles snap, and engineers often cannot start repairs until the wind drops and roads are cleared.
The Guaranteed Standards of Performance recognise this by giving operators more time before a payment is due. In exchange, once that longer deadline has passed, the payments build up faster: every 6 hours rather than every 12. That reflects how hard a long cut in cold, stormy weather can be on a household.
If you want the background on why storms do so much damage to the network, our guide on why power cuts happen explains the common causes.
Category 1 and Category 2 storms in plain words
The categories are not based on wind speed or on whether the Met Office has named a storm. Ofgem is clear that they are different from Met Office storm categories. Instead, they are based on how many faults the storm causes on the operator’s higher-voltage network in a single 24-hour period, compared with a normal day.
- Category 1: bad weather causes at least 8 times the normal number of higher-voltage faults in a day, but fewer than 13 times. Where the faults are caused by lightning, any event of 8 times normal or more counts as Category 1.
- Category 2: very severe weather (not lightning) causes 13 times the normal number of faults or more in a day.
Put simply: Category 1 is a bad storm that keeps engineers very busy, and Category 2 is an exceptional one that overwhelms a normal day’s workload many times over. The bigger the storm, the longer the operator has before payments start.
How a storm gets its category
The category comes from the operator’s own fault records for the area affected, measured over 24 hours. That means it is worked out from what actually happened on the network, often after the event, rather than announced in advance from the forecast. Two neighbouring operator areas can have different categories for the same named storm, because one may have been hit much harder.
A storm with a Met Office name does not automatically count as severe weather for compensation, and an unnamed storm can still reach Category 1 or 2. If the fault rate stays below 8 times normal, the ordinary normal-weather rules apply instead, which are more generous to you on timing.
How much you get: the storm payment table
These figures apply in Great Britain from April 2026. The same amounts apply to homes and businesses.
| Category | First payment due after | First payment | Then | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 24 hours off supply | £90 | £45 for each further 6 hours | £2,235 |
| Category 2 | 48 hours off supply | £90 | £45 for each further 6 hours | £2,235 |
| For comparison: normal weather | 12 hours (24 hours if 5,000+ properties) | £100 for a home | £45 for each further 12 hours | £400 cap for 5,000+ incidents |
The full list of standards, including planned cuts and repeated cuts, is in our main guide to power cut compensation in the UK.
Worked examples
To work out a storm payment, find the trigger point (24 or 48 hours), add £90, then count each complete 6-hour block after it at £45. These are hypothetical examples.
Category 1 examples
- Off for 20 hours: under 24 hours, so nothing is due.
- Off for 30 hours: £90 for passing 24 hours, plus one further 6-hour block (24–30) at £45. Total: £135.
- Off for 36 hours: £90, plus two further blocks (24–30 and 30–36), so £90 extra. Total: £180.
- Off for 3 days (72 hours): £90, plus 48 hours beyond the trigger, which is eight 6-hour blocks, so 8 × £45 = £360. Total: £450.
Category 2 examples
- Off for 40 hours: under 48 hours, so nothing is due.
- Off for 60 hours: £90 for passing 48 hours, plus two 6-hour blocks (48–54 and 54–60) at £45 each. Total: £180.
- Off for 4 days (96 hours): £90, plus 48 hours beyond the trigger, which is eight blocks, or £360. Total: £450.
Notice how the category makes a big difference. Being off for 72 hours in a Category 1 event earns £450, while the same 72 hours in a Category 2 event earns £90 plus four blocks (48–72), which is £270.
Tip: During a storm, jot down when your power went off and every time it flickered back and failed again. If your supply was restored briefly then lost again, ask the operator how it has treated those periods, because it affects your total.
Do you need to claim storm compensation?
Normally, no. Ofgem says that most power cut payments are made automatically by the network operator. Storm payments are made “as soon as reasonably practicable” once the event is over, and the operator’s priority is getting everyone back on supply first.
The money usually arrives as a cheque, a bank transfer if the operator holds your details, or a credit through your energy supplier. After major storms some operators have opened online forms so customers can confirm bank details or report that they were missed. Watch the operator’s website and social media pages in the weeks after a storm.
You should get in touch if any of these apply:
- you were off much longer than your neighbours, for example because a single cable to your home was damaged
- your power came back and then failed again
- you never reported the cut and the operator may not know your exact restoration time
- a few months have passed since the storm and nothing has arrived
Call 105, or use the operator’s website, with your address, the date and the times. A missed or late payment can carry an extra £40. You can also use our power cut compensation page to check your figures before you call.
If you are not paid, or disagree with the category
Start with the operator and ask how it categorised the storm in your area and how it calculated your payment. If you think the figures are wrong, make a formal complaint in writing.
If the complaint is not resolved after 8 weeks, or you receive a deadlock letter saying the operator cannot resolve it, you can take it to the Energy Ombudsman free of charge. Operators’ leaflets also say you can ask Ofgem for a formal decision if you disagree about whether a payment is due. The Energy Ombudsman has said its 8-week waiting period will be cut to 6 weeks, so check its site for the current rule.
Operators can claim exemptions where events were beyond their control, such as roads blocked by flooding, snowdrifts or fallen trees that stopped engineers getting to equipment. They have to show they took all reasonable steps, so ask for the reasons in writing if you are told an exemption applies.
What storm payments do not cover
The £90 and £45 payments are fixed amounts for a long interruption. They do not reimburse spoiled food, damaged appliances, hotel bills, generator hire or lost wages. For food lost during a long storm cut, your home contents insurance may help. Our guide to food lost in a power cut and insurance explains what to check.
If you are on the Priority Services Register, you do not get more compensation, but you may get welfare support during a long storm cut, such as hot food and drinks or help with somewhere to stay, where the operator offers it.
Safety: Storms bring down power lines. Stay at least 5 metres away from any fallen or low-hanging line, keep others and pets back, and call 105. If there is an immediate danger to life, call 999. Our guide to fallen power lines explains what to do.
Storm cuts in Northern Ireland
The figures in this guide apply only in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks’ standards say they may not apply in severe weather, and the operator can apply for a severe weather exemption, which has meant no standard payments after some major storms. In July 2026 the Department for the Economy said customers should receive payments when left without power because of severe weather and asked officials to develop that policy, but no new scheme had been set out at the time of writing. Check NIE Networks for the latest position.
Frequently asked questions
Is a named storm automatically Category 1?
No. The category depends on the number of faults on the operator’s higher-voltage network in a 24-hour period compared with normal, not on whether the Met Office named the storm. A named storm may not reach Category 1 in a lightly affected area.
How much compensation for 48 hours without power in a storm?
In a Category 1 storm, you would get £90 for passing 24 hours plus four 6-hour blocks at £45, so £270. In a Category 2 storm, 48 hours is the trigger point, so you would only start to qualify once you had been off for longer than 48 hours.
What is the most I can get for a storm power cut?
The maximum severe weather payment is £2,235 per customer for either category.
How long after a storm will I be paid?
Operators pay once everyone is restored and the records are checked. After a big storm that can take weeks or a few months. If you have heard nothing after a few months, contact the operator.
Can I claim for food and damage after a storm?
Not from the network operator. Check your home contents and buildings insurance instead, and keep photos and receipts.
Your next step: keep a note of your power-off and power-on times during any storm, check the live list of power cuts today for updates on your area. Before the next one, work through our guide to preparing for storm season.
Sources
- Ofgem u2013 Check if you can get a payment for a power cut
- SSEN u2013 Performance standards for demand customers 2026 (Guaranteed Standards leaflet)
- Energy Ombudsman u2013 20 things to know about Energy Ombudsman
- NIE Networks u2013 Customer standards
- Department for the Economy u2013 Written statement on electricity guaranteed standards review, 22 July 2026
Checked against these sources on 28 October 2026. Rules and amounts can change – your network operator or Ofgem has the final word. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
More on money and your rights: Power Cut Compensation in the UK: How Much and How to Claim · All power cut guides