Our operation to reconnect the last few hundred customers who lost power because of Storm Éowyn’s destructive winds continues.
As of 4:30pm on Tuesday, more than 91,000 customers have now been reconnected since the storm first hit. Hundreds of engineers are on the network to reconnect 240 households who’re still without power. Work went on late into Monday evening to restore further supplies and recommenced before dawn today.
Those still off are mainly in communities in Argyll and Bute, which was covered by the Red Met Office wind warning, and where damaging gusts caused very serious, widespread damage to the network.
Our response in numbers
-
10 times our normal staffing levels have been fixing faults and supporting customers.
-
30,000 customers have been in touch with us via phone or social media; with average waiting times for those calling us of 1 minute.
-
Around 7,000 hot meals have been provided by us to customers free of charge in affected areas.
-
There have been nearly 500,000 visits to our Power Track website, which has provided customers with accurate, realistic, reconnection times.
Looking after our customers
While teams of engineers have worked in difficult conditions to rebuild the network and reconnect customers, a large welfare operation has been set up in affected communities, with cafés serving free hot meals and drinks to customers on SSEN’s behalf, and mobile vans providing food too.
These have served a total of around 7,000 meals since Saturday morning.
We've also coordinated door knocking to check in on vulnerable customers, and a dedicated team has made telephone calls to offer further specialised help and support while final reconnection works are completed.
When people can expect to be reconnected
Customers have been provided with realistic estimates of when they can expect to be reconnected. The vast majority of these times have not changed since they were initially provided, and in some cases, customers have been reconnected ahead of estimates. If circumstances require the times given to be changed, the customer contact centre team will be getting in touch with any affected customers directly.
We estimate most of the customers still awaiting reconnection will have their supplies restored by the end of Tuesday. In the very few cases where this might not be possible, welfare and customer care teams will get in touch to offer further support.
Anyone still awaiting reconnection and who can’t see their fault listed on our Power Track app or website should contact 105 to ensure this is brought to our attention.
Andy Smith, SSEN’s Director of Customer Operations for the north of Scotland says:
“This storm has been the most destructive for parts of our network in many years, and rebuilding damaged overhead lines has been a huge task. While we’ve done this, we’ve done all we can to be there for our customers, whether it’s been at the end of the phone, or through the extensive welfare provision we’ve put in place in communities.
“I’m grateful to customers for their patience and understanding while we work to reconnect the last remaining homes.”
Details on compensation
As part of SSEN’s support package, customers without power for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day off supply, to cover the cost of food and drink. People should keep hold of their receipts and claim costs back at www.ssen.co.uk/stormclaim.
Customers on SSEN’s Priority Service Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if they’re without power for over 24 hours. Support with booking accommodation can be provided if needed. If a power cut is estimated to last beyond 48 hours, all customers can benefit from this support. People can claim this in the same way as food and drink.
As set by Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards, Éowyn’s severity means that customers who have been without power for more than 48 hours will be entitled to £85 compensation, and a further £40 for every additional 6 hours past this point. Customers don’t need to claim for this or contact SSEN; it will be issued automatically in the coming weeks.
📞 Help and advice
If you see any damage to our equipment, please stay back, don’t touch it and instead report it to us directly by calling 105, or via our Power Track Website, and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.
Customers are also being encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies by:
- Saving the emergency power cut number - '105' - to your phone to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network
- Visiting our Power Track Website to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through Power Track.
- Visiting the "Preparing for a power cut" section on our website, where there is a wealth of advice and information, or to chat live to one of our advisors via the Webchat service
Customers are also eligible for our 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.
To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.
Support during a power cut
To keep updated with any power cuts across our network, we are encouraging our customers to save the emergency power cut number 105 and to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (ssencommunity) for regular updates.
-
Priority Services Register
We all rely on electricity day to day for various things, but for some, a power cut can be worrying or difficult. That’s why we offer extra help and support during a power cut. Registering for our Priority Services helps us to help you when you need it most. All our priority services are free. -
View our tips and advice to help you during a power cut
Dealing with a power cut
If you are currently experiencing a power cut, we know this can be a difficult time. That's why wee've put together some helpful tips and advice to help you during a power cut. You can also download our useful resources to share with your family, friends, and neighbours. -
Report a power cut or damage to our network through our map
Power Track
You can stay updated and track the progress of any faults in your area on our Power Track map or report damage to our network. You can also follow the progress of planned interruptions as well as find the nearest EV charge point if you have an electric vehicle that needs charging during a power cut.