Guaranteed Standards of Performance

We're committed to giving you the highest level of service. If we don't meet these standards, and you’re a Microbusiness customer, we'll make a compensation payment to you automatically, without you needing to claim.

What’s included on this page:

1. Metering appointments
2. If your smart meter isn’t working as expected
3. How we make compensation payments
4. Erroneous transfers (switches)
5. Distribution Network Operator (DNO) standards
6. Where compensation doesn’t apply
7. How to get in touch

1. Metering appointments

When we arrange an appointment requiring access in relation to your electricity supply, we'll:

• Offer you an appointment within a reasonable time and within 60 working days for a first-time smart meter installation.
• Do our best to accommodate you if you request a specific date and time. If we can't meet your request, we'll let you know.
• Keep appointment windows to no more than 4 hours, during working hours Monday to Friday.
• Give you at least 1 working days’ notice if we need to rearrange, unless you've agreed to shorter notice.

We'll pay you £40, if:

• We can't offer you a first-time smart meter appointment within 60 working days.
• We fail to keep an appointment, or don't meet the requirements of one.
• We rearrange your appointment with less than 1 working days’ notice (and without your agreement).

2. If your smart meter isn’t working as expected

If you tell us your smart meter isn't working correctly, we'll carry out an initial assessment within 5 working days of you contacting us and confirm the outcome and next steps to you in writing.

We'll pay you £40 if:

• We haven’t completed an initial assessment and confirmed the next steps in writing within 5 working days of you telling us your meter is faulty.

3. How we make compensation payments

If we fail to meet any standard above, we’ll notify you and apply £40 credit to your account within 10 working days of the failure. If we miss that 10 working day window, we'll add a further £40 credit, bringing the total to £80 within 10 working days of the first payment coming due. If you would prefer to receive a direct payment instead of a credit to your account, please send an email to meteringenquiries@drax.com.

Where we receive a payment from a Distribution Network Operator (DNO) on your behalf, we'll pass it on to you within 10 working days of receiving it, otherwise an additional compensation payment will be due as per the example above.

4. Erroneous transfers (switches)

An erroneous transfer happens when your energy supply is switched to a new supplier by mistake. If this happens to you, here's what we'll do:

When you contact us

We'll assign a trained member of our team to your case and explain the steps we'll take. You can also contact the other supplier involved, and they will initiate the process on your behalf.

After you contact us

Within 5 working days of you contacting us, we'll send you written confirmation of those steps and, where we can, an explanation of why the erroneous transfer happened. If we're the new (gaining) supplier, we won't use the situation as an opportunity to keep you as a customer.

We’ll work with the other supplier to agree whether the transfer was erroneous. We offer a telephone enquiry service for other suppliers on all working days between 09:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00 UK time.

The other supplier will respond, accepting or rejecting the request, within the industry-agreed timelines. If they reject it, they'll give us a reason. Where both suppliers agree the transfer was erroneous, the losing supplier will submit a re-registration request within 2 working days.

Where we're the supplier who started the process, we'll confirm to you within 20 working days of your initial contact that you'll be returned to your previous supplier.

We'll pay you £40 if:

• We fail to send written confirmation of next steps within 5 working days of your contact.
• We fail to confirm your return to your previous supplier within 20 working days.

5. Distribution Network Operator (DNO) standards

Your DNO is responsible for maintaining the electricity network that delivers power to your property. DNOs also operate under their own Guaranteed Standards of Performance. If your DNO fails to meet these, they'll pay you compensation directly. The key areas their standards cover are:

Main fuse failure: restoring your supply if your main fuse fails.

Supply restoration: getting you back on supply after an unplanned interruption, including incidents affecting more than 5,000 premises.

Severe weather: restoring supplies following severe weather events.

Multiple interruptions: if you suffer repeated supply interruptions within a set period.

Rota disconnections: where your supply is interrupted as part of a managed load reduction.

Planned interruptions: advance notice of planned works that affect your supply.

Supply voltage: investigating and resolving voltage issues at your premises.

Appointments: attending appointments within agreed timeframes.

For full details of your DNO's Guaranteed Standards, contact your DNO directly or visit their website.

6. Where compensation doesn’t apply

There are some situations where we won't make a compensation payment, even if a standard isn't met. These exemptions only apply where we've taken reasonable steps to prevent the situation from arising.

They include:

• If we’ve already made a compensation payment, since we can only make one compensation payment per individual failure.
• If there’s an ongoing dispute with you relating to these standards.
• If you've asked us not to take further action.
• If we consider the appointment request to be unreasonable or made in bad faith.
• If the failure was caused by someone not acting on our behalf.
• If you, or someone at your premises, has interfered with a meter.
• If we haven't received payment following a disconnection notice.
• In case of severe weather or other exceptional circumstances beyond our control.
• If we couldn't access your premises when we needed access.

7. How to get in touch

If you have any questions about these standards, or you think you're owed a compensation payment, please contact our team on 01473 237848 or email meteringenquiries@drax.com. We’re available Monday–Thursday 9am–5pm, Friday 9am-4:30pm.