Coronavirus updates and FAQs | UK Power Networks

As the company responsible for distributing electricity to over 8.3 million properties across London, the East and South East of England, we’re continuing to keep the power flowing to your home or business during Covid-19.

Power supplies are 99.9% reliable and we are here for you 24/7. Our engineers are out in the community every day providing a critical service, maintaining the electricity network and fixing any power cuts on the rare occasions they happen. We are also continuing Connections and construction projects responding to any changes in government guidance.

While this summer saw an easing of many of the last coronavirus restrictions, we want to reassure all of our customers that working safely remains front of mind for all our staff.

We continue to have hundreds of customer service advisors equipped and working from home and offices to take calls to help serve all customers. Our first priority is to keep employees, contractors and customers safe, by carrying out all work in line with the latest Covid-19 national advice.

We are continuing to undertake urgent work requested by our customers, and will only enter customers’ properties when it is required.

We have provided more information in our FAQs below. We’re here for you 24/7. There are over 20 ways to get in touch including Twitter @ukpowernetworks, and freephone 105.

Anyone who might feel vulnerable in a power cut can dial 0800 169 9970 to sign up to our Priority Services Register to receive extra support.

Image of an office worker looking at computer screen

FAQs

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, 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 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). We continue working with other network operators and trade associations to ensure we share best practice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Planned work is continuing 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 people continue to work from home. We thank people for their understanding and for maintaining social distancing while our key workers complete this work in your community.

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.
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.
To help schoolchildren without access to a computer or the internet, we have donated over 30 desktops and laptops to local schools.

Engineer wearing Personal protective equipment

Our engineers continue to wear face coverings when entering any customer premises. All additional Personal Protective Equipment such as coveralls, will only be used if customers are isolating or symptomatic.