Power cut due to Storm Eleanor? Here’s how to claim up to £700 compensation
You'll get a minimum of £70 if your power is cut off for 24 hours or more
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STORM Eleanor has been causing havoc across the country, with violent winds of up to 80mph, leaving thousands of homes without power and hitting transport links.
Forecasters warned lives could be at risk from flying debris as the fifth named store of the winter hit the UK this week.
Around 20,000 houses in Northern Ireland and scores more in Wales were affected by power cuts — while the Republic of Ireland reeled from at least 55,000 outages.
Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said it is working to restore power to over 20,000 customers and it will continue to respond to reports of damage and reconnect supplies as quickly and safely as possible.
In England around 2,500 properties between Cornwall and the Midlands were without power this morning.
Homeowners affected by the outage could claim compensation for the time left without electricity.
It's worth noting that if a power cut has been caused by bad weather, you'll only get compensation if the power has been off for 24 hours or more.
You'll get paid £70 for the first 24 hours of no power, then another £70 for each following 12 hours, up to a maximum of £700.
This means that to get £700 compensation you'll need to have no power for more than five days.
It is your local electricity distributor that maintains the electricity supply to your home, rather than your energy supplier, so they are liable to pay the required compensation.
How to claim compensation
If the power cut was caused by bad weather you’ll be paid compensation without having to claim, according to .
But if you don't receive your cash you can still make a claim by contacting the company that manages the distribution of your gas or electricity. .
The distribution company will usually send the compensation payment to your supplier, who will then credit it to your account.
EL ON EARTH Storm Eleanor leaves thousands without power and commuters facing travel chaos as 100mph gales batter the UK causing ‘danger to life
It’s possible for the distribution company to pay you directly, if they have your bank details.
If you have a prepayment meter then how you get paid might vary. Some suppliers can credit the meter directly, while others will send a cheque or vouchers.
When a power cut is the result of bad weather there is no time limit for when the distributor must pay.
When you'll be paid
Affected customers should be paid within 10 days of their claiming (although this may not be the case with weather-related outages).
If the power cut was caused by bad weather, you should be paid "as soon as is reasonable".
If there has been a problem receiving your power cut compensation you can .
What if I'm denied compensation?
IF your electricity distributor says that you aren't eligible for compensation, and you disagree, you should complain directly to them
- You can do this by completing the their complaints procedure, which will be on their website.
- If you’re not satisfied with their response to your complaint, you can complain to the .
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