Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) set out its Storm Éowyn compensation position on 28 January 2025, covering customers left off supply by the storm. The network operator said customers without power for more than 48 hours will receive £85, with a further £40 for every additional six hours beyond that point1.
The £85 and £40 payments sit under the guaranteed standards framework and are automatic. SSEN said customers do not need to claim or make contact, and that the money will be issued in the coming weeks1. Alongside this, SSEN is running its own 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, with receipts to be kept and costs claimed back through the SSEN storm claim page1.
Accommodation support differs by circumstance. Customers on SSEN's Priority Service Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation after more than 24 hours off supply. Where a power cut has lasted beyond 48 hours, all customers can use that support and claim costs back in the same way as for food and drink1. SSEN asked those able to do so to submit claims by the end of February 20251.
"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"
| Payment | Trigger | How it is made |
|---|---|---|
| £85 | Off supply more than 48 hours | Automatic, no claim needed1 |
| £40 per additional 6 hours | Beyond the first 48 hours | Automatic, no claim needed1 |
| £30 per person per day | Off supply more than 12 hours | Claim with receipts via SSEN1 |
| Reasonable accommodation costs | Priority Service Register, over 24 hours; all customers beyond 48 hours | Claim via SSEN1 |
The Priority Services Register is free and open to households that 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 reliant on electricity, or are over 601. SSEN also pointed customers to its 105 power cut helpline, which it said operates 24/71.
Why it matters for households
For a household, the practical value of these payments depends on how long the power was actually off. The £85 automatic payment is the baseline for any Storm Éowyn outage past 48 hours, and the £40 increments mean a longer outage produces a larger sum without any action from the household. The food and drink element is different: it is money back rather than money given, so it depends on receipts being kept and a claim being submitted. The same applies to accommodation costs, where eligibility turns on Priority Service Register status below 48 hours and opens to all customers beyond it.
The wider point is that compensation is a partial offset, not a substitute for a home's ability to keep running. A payment arriving weeks later does not keep a fridge cold, a heating system running or medical equipment powered during the outage itself. Households weighing how much independence they want from the network can compare the cost of backup power options against the sums involved here, and the guaranteed standards set the floor that all network operators must meet. SSEN's own arrangements, including its priority services, sit on top of that floor.
What happens next
SSEN said the £85 and £40 payments will be issued automatically in the coming weeks, with no claim required1. Food, drink and accommodation claims should be submitted by the end of February 2025 where customers are able to do so1. No date has been reported for when automatic payments will land, and no total number of affected customers or final cost has been published1.
Sources1 cited
- Storm Éowyn compensation guide - SSEN, ssen.co.uk