Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said on 7 October 2025 that it is running a welfare operation for customers left without power after Storm Amy, and has published the rules under which households can recover costs.
The network operator said it has served over 20,000 meals in affected communities while engineers worked to restore supplies. It said support is being prioritised for customers registered for its Priority Services, with a dedicated team contacting them directly with restoration updates and details of available help. Customers still without power can contact SSEN on 105 or by WhatsApp.
On reimbursement, SSEN said customers should keep receipts and claim costs back through its storm claim page. Customers on the Priority Services Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if they have been without power for more than 24 hours. Where a power cut is confirmed to have lasted beyond 48 hours, all customers can claim accommodation costs in the same way as food and drink. The company did not state a cap on food or accommodation claims, and no total number of properties affected or restoration deadline has been reported.
"During Storm Amy we have served over 20,000 meals to our communities while our engineers have worked to restore power."
SSEN also listed the groups eligible for its Priority Services: customers who 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 or aids reliant on electricity, or are over 60. Registration is free and can be made by phone on 0800 294 3259.
Why it matters for households
A power cut of more than a day turns a fridge, freezer and cooking arrangements into a practical problem, and the cost of eating out or moving to alternative accommodation falls on the household first. SSEN's scheme shifts part of that cost back to the network operator, but only where receipts are kept and, for accommodation, only once the outage passes the stated thresholds. The 24-hour and 48-hour boundaries mean the length of an outage, not just its occurrence, determines what a household can recover.
For homes that depend on electricity for medical equipment, heating controls, communications or refrigeration of medication, the Priority Services Register is the route through which SSEN identifies who needs contact and extra support during an incident. Being registered also changes the accommodation reimbursement threshold from 48 hours to 24 hours, so registration has a direct financial effect as well as a welfare one. Households that generate or store their own power, or that have backup arrangements, face a different set of decisions during an outage, but the network's restoration timetable remains the factor outside their control. Wider context on how suppliers handle outages and compensation sits alongside the network's role in national supply.
What happens next
SSEN said its teams are continuing to work to restore supplies and that welfare support remains available to any customer still without power. It asked customers to report damage to its equipment by calling 105 or through its Power Track service, and to stay back from damaged equipment. No date has been given for completing restoration.