The quality of service received by customers from local electricity Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) – the companies that run the wires that deliver electricity to peoples’ homes – covers a range of issues such as how often customers have power cuts, how quickly electricity supplies are restored following such cuts and the quality of communication with customers and other parties.
Measures in place to protect customers
There are two main types of quality of service measures:
- Guaranteed standards of performance which provide protection to individual customers.
If a company fails to meet a guaranteed standard of performance it must make a payment to the customers affected, subject to certain exemptions. These standards cover areas such as supply restoration following power cuts and estimation of charges for connections.
- Outputs measures which are annual performance indicators for specific service areas.
These are set out in the Regulatory Instructions and Guidance (RIGs) for Reporting Output Measures. Ofgem collects information such as the number and duration of interruptions, quality of telephone response, fault rates and environmental measures.
There are financial incentives in place on DNOs to deliver an improved level of performance in relation to the number and duration of power cuts and the quality of telephone response.