Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Electricity (Standards of Performance) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 and come into force on 1st November 2024.

Amendment to the Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015

2.—(1) The Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015( 4) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 4(1) (supply restoration standards of performance for electricity distributors)—

(a) for the definition of “category 1 severe weather conditions”, substitute—

““ category 1 severe weather conditions ” means—

(a) conditions in which no less than eight times the daily mean faults at distribution higher voltage on the designated electricity distributor’s distribution system at distribution higher voltage in a 24-hour period are caused by weather predominantly related to lightning; or

(b) conditions in which no less than eight times the daily mean faults at distribution higher voltage but fewer than thirteen times the daily mean faults at distribution higher voltage on the designated electricity distributor’s distribution system at distribution higher voltage in a 24-hour period are caused by weather not predominantly related to lightning; ”;

(b) for the definition of “category 2 severe weather conditions” substitute—

““ category 2 severe weather conditions ” means conditions in which no less than thirteen times the daily mean faults at distribution higher voltage on the designated electricity distributor’s distribution system at distribution higher voltage in a 24-hour period are caused by weather not predominantly related to lightning; ”.

(3) In regulation 6(3)(b) (supply restoration: normal conditions – 5,000 or more customers’ premises interrupted) for “category 1, 2 or 3” substitute “category 1 or 2”.

(4) In regulation 7(5) (supply restoration: severe weather conditions)—

(a) for “12” substitute “6”, and

(b) for “a maximum of £700” substitute “the prescribed cap”.

(5) In Schedule 2 (data for the purpose of calculating payments), in the description of the table in Part 3 omit “, the category 3 threshold number of customers and the upper-threshold number of customers”.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015 ( S.I. 2015/699) (“ the Principal Regulations”), which prescribe the sums that electricity suppliers and distributors must pay to a customer by way of compensation for failure to meet specified standards of performance in respect of the services to be provided by such suppliers or distributors, subject to certain exemptions. The provisions of the Principal Regulations amended by these Regulations relate to electricity distributors.

Regulation 2(2) amends the definitions of “category 1 severe weather conditions” and “category 2 severe weather conditions” as a consequence of the removal of the definition of “category 3 severe weather conditions” under the Electricity (Standards of Performance) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 ( S.I. 2023/887). Regulations 2(3) and (5) make further consequential changes on the removal of the “category 3 severe weather condition” definition.

Regulation 2(4) amends regulation 7(5) of the Principal Regulations to reduce the time period from 12 hours to 6 hours for each period of time that compensation is payable after the relevant period has expired. The maximum amount that can be paid to a customer under this provision has been increased from £700 to the prescribed cap as set out in Part 1A of Schedule 2 to the Principal Regulations.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.