Supporting our customers and staff 

FAQs

How are you keeping our lights on during COVID-19?

Throughout the Covid-19 restrictions this winter, our number one priority will always be to protect the safety of our employees and the public. 

We have invested in our electricity cables and substations to make power cuts so rare that our networks across London, the East and South East are 99.9% reliable. Power cuts can still sometimes happen for a variety of reasons beyond our control, but when they occur, we will fix them as normal.

Our engineers and support staff are out working as usual because most of our equipment is based in the community it serves. They are defined as key workers, as they are responsible for maintaining the power supplies to over 8.3 million homes and businesses. Please do respect 2m social distancing if you need to speak to our engineers in the street.

As key workers, our engineers will carry on working, with all of the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and will maintain social distancing. We are working with other network operators and trade associations to ensure we share best practice. We have engaged with our supply chain to make sure we can continue to access the equipment and supplies we need.

I have a power cut, what should I do?

• We are working as normal to fix any power cuts which happen.
• You can contact us on a variety of channels based on your preference, our website, Facebook, Twitter @ukpowernetworks, or call us on 105. 
• On the rare occasions we need to enter your home to restore your power, our staff will ask you if you are self-isolating, if anyone in your home has any symptoms of COVID 19, i.e. a new dry cough, fever or a change to your sense of taste or smell, and if anyone is in a higher risk category. 
• Please make sure you specify your condition so that we can make the relevant arrangements and take any precautionary measures to assist you.

How are you keeping people safe during engineer visits and what additional protective equipment will your staff be wearing?

If customers are symptomatic, self-isolating or awaiting tests we will not enter their property unless it is a safety emergency.  

We have a safe method of work in place to do this, following industry guidelines: 

 

Preparing for the visit:

• When we call you to explain the work we need to carry out in your home, we will agree with you how we enter the property and the suitable precautions we will put in place.
• We will encourage you to send photographs to enable a better understanding of the work required.
• Our staff have the required additional protective kit to carry out the job and will do a full risk assessment to cover extra controls that need to be put in place.

During the visit

• National industry guidance is given to all our operational teams who need to enter customers’ homes for essential work.
• Where practical, we will keep the essential works to the minimum required time to carry them out safely.
• Our staff will wear protective equipment, stay in a different room from people who are infected or self-isolating, and avoid touching surfaces.
• Additional disposable protective wear consists of FFP3/FFP2 (antiviral) mask, coveralls, overshoes and gloves, and all will be disposed of after single use. This additional protective equipment will only be used where customers are isolating or symptomatic. 
• Before entering the property, whenever possible we will call you from outside to let you know we have arrived. We will step away from the door before it is answered.
• We will ask that the isolated person is in a separate room while we carry out the works.
• We will also ask you to ventilate the area by opening doors and windows wherever possible and we will avoid touching surfaces.
• If we need to communicate with you at any point during the works, we will speak to you from an adjacent room or use a mobile phone.
• Finally, we will inform you that we will sign any paperwork on your behalf, just like most delivery drivers do now.

We took the decision to make the wearing of a face covering a requirement for our employees, when entering any customer premises on company business. Our staff will only remove their face covering:

• When carrying out a live operation, as approved PPE (face shield or hood) will be worn for that activity
• At the request of the customer, provided that our employees are satisfied that there is no obvious risk of infection present
• The face covering does not need to be worn if medical reasons preclude the employee from using them in these instances.

What are you doing to help vulnerable customers?

• If you live in London, the East or South East of England, then being on our free Priority Services Register will ensure you will receive extra support if you experience a power cut.
• Sign up to our Priority Services Register and we'll make sure you get extra support during a power cut: please visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority or call us on 0800 169 9970. It is free to register and any additional support you receive is free of charge. 
• We refer customers to a website that connects people to local groups which support those most vulnerable and in self isolation. Find out more.
• We also run an Extra Care Register. Hospitals, hospices and care homes that look after vulnerable people are now able to get extra support if they ever have a power cut on their premises, by signing up at 0800 169 9970. 

I have an appointment booked. Can I cancel?

Yes, at any time you can cancel your appointment. Please just contact us through our website, on Twitter @UkPowerNetworks, or ring 105. We are here for you 24/7.

Do infection spikes change anything?

Our engineers are still working 24/7 to keep the power flowing, but recognise that some customers may not want us to visit for non-urgent jobs like installing or moving cables at their property.

It won’t be a problem if you would prefer to postpone a non-urgent job, in the interests of keeping everyone safe during the current surge in coronavirus cases. 

Similarly, if you are considering a new project that isn’t really urgent at the moment, we would ask that you defer your electrical request until a later date. Feel free to ring us on 105 so our friendly advisors can help.

Are you still doing planned power cuts?

Planned work is continuing throughout the restrictions to help us to maintain high levels of reliability to our customers, however we appreciate that with many more people working at home now it’s important for us to minimise disruption. All customers who will be affected are notified in advance so they can make alternative arrangements if necessary and in some cases we can provide extra support on site, such as hot meals.

We urge customers to contact us if they require any assistance. Anyone who might feel vulnerable while temporarily without electricity, is encouraged to contact us for advice and support.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, particularly while more people are working from home. We appreciate that it is very cold at the moment and when temperatures fall below freezing we postpone planned work. We thank people for their understanding and for maintaining social distancing while our key workers complete this work in your community. 

 

How are you supporting communities?

• We led a group of utility firms to arrange a donation of £500,000 for 21 Community Foundations across the areas we serve.
• We re-purposed our £300,000 Power Partners scheme to help those most affected in terms of fuel poverty, by the pandemic.
• Our employees continue to fundraise for local good causes and raised nearly £9,000 in the early weeks of the pandemic. We run a ‘Give As You Earn’ scheme, staff donate cash awarded for high performance, and a weekly prize draw to support NHS trusts. Some have also completed training to join a befriending scheme to ring people at risk of feeling isolated at home.
• Grassroots clubs are being helped during challenging times, by our Team Sports Awards. In 2020 more than 60 local sports teams connected to our employees benefitted from a share of £15,500.