Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is calling on residents across Aldershot, Basingstoke, Chichester, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight to sign up to its Priority Services Register (PSR) to receive extra support this winter. The network operator has teamed up with SMILE, to help reach thousands of hospital patients who receive the charity's complimentary magazine and want to know more about the free energy services available to them when they return home.

With over 750,000 households and businesses across SSEN's South East region, which covers areas including Aldershot, Basingstoke, Chichester, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, the network operator is helping local residents to prepare for the winter weather, which can bring the potential for disruption to power supplies.

SSEN offers several free services including its PSR and confidential guidance and information through its partnership with YES Energy Solutions; helping households looking to save money, improve their energy efficiency and prepare for the winter months ahead.

Through the network operator's Priority Services Register (PSR), customers who could find themselves in a vulnerable situation during planned or unplanned power outages are offered free extra support, which varies according to the individual customer's needs, and through YES Energy Solutions is also offering free, expert advice on energy efficiency; all part of SSEN's ongoing commitment to supporting its customers.

SSEN's Customer Relationship Manager, Jasmin Myhill said:

"At SSEN we want to make sure that we address the needs of our customers and are always looking for new ways to reach out them and raise awareness of the additional free services we can offer. Through this, we have also been working with the charity SMILE, which is helping highlight our services through information in the magazines it distributes across St Richards Hospital in Chichester and the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital."

"At SSEN, we want to ensure we do all we can to cater for our customers' needs through the winter and beyond. We've already had a great uptake in local residents signing up to our PSR, but we know there are still some households which could benefit from the free assistance."

Customers are eligible for SSEN's Priority Services Register (PSR) if they:

  • Are deaf or hard of hearing
  • Have a disability
  • Live with children under five
  • Are blind or partially sighted
  • Have a chronic illness
  • Use medical equipment/aids, reliant on electricity
  • Are over 60

Earlier this year, SSEN extended its PSR criteria to customers who may require additional help during the coronavirus pandemic, so those categorised at 'high risk' and 'extremely high risk' of severe illness from coronavirus are also eligible to sign up for additional support.

SSEN produces its Priority Services Register leaflets in 11 different languages; all of which are also available to read and download from its website, by going to: www.ssen.co.uk/psr.

Jasmin added:

"In addition to signing up for PSR or seeking guidance from YES Energy Solutions, we're also encouraging customers to download the free-to-call 105 emergency number and SSEN's Power Track app to any phones or digital devices they have, to enable them to report power cuts and emergencies, and to be kept updated on those situations."

Customers can prepare for the winter months and the potential for weather events which can affect power supplies by:

  • Saving the emergency power cut number '105' to your phone to report power cuts or damage to the electricity network
  • Downloading SSEN's Power Track app to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through the Power Track app
  • Going to SSEN's website where there is a wealth of advice and information on how to deal with a power cut, or to chat live to one of SSEN's advisors via its Webchat service
  • Following SSEN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates.