Islanders to become eligible to powercut compensation 14/3/13
From 2015, island households can demand compensation if their electricity supply
is disrupted for a length period.
Until now, energy company SSE did not have to pay out if powercuts blacked out customers
in the Western Isles.
In most other parts of the UK, consumers can claim for an outage of 12 hours in normal
weather or over 24 hours in severe weather. There is also a £54 payment for four
or more powercuts in a year lasting three hours.
Energy regulator Ofgem said it is now making island households eligible for the scheme.
Affected users will have to claim from SSE which is the grid operator in the north
of Scotland.
However, vulnerable customers like pensioners, long-term ill, registered disabled
or with a hearing or visual impairment who are on the Priority Service Register should
get an automatic payment.
