Standard compensation for long power outages
Under the Electricity Market Act, a customer is entitled to compensation for a power outage lasting more than 12 hours.
What is a standard compensation?
An entirely uninterrupted electricity supply cannot be guaranteed, as the power grid is vulnerable to natural forces—such as wind and snow—that can cause disruptions. However, electricity consumers are entitled to compensation if a power outage is prolonged or if there is a fault in the electricity supply.
Electricity network companies automatically compensate their customers for prolonged power outages.
The amount of standard compensation depends on the customer’s annual network service fee and the duration of the outage. An outage is considered to begin when the electricity company becomes aware of the fault, either through its grid monitoring system or via a notification from the consumer. The outage is considered to end once the fault has been repaired. When calculating the duration of the outage, industry association guidelines are followed; these state that the calculation starts over if the power has been restored for at least two hours during the interruption period.
If the power supply interruption is caused by a fault in the transmission or regional grid, the network company is not obliged to pay standard compensation to its customers. A network company may also be exempted from the obligation to pay if the cause of the outage is deemed to be beyond its control. Official regulations regarding energy rationing serve as an example of such a situation.
Occupational safety is always taken into account
In cases where the safety of repair personnel is at risk, the calculation of the outage duration begins only when repairs can be safely commenced (Consumer Disputes Board decision 4821/39/2012). Such cases could include, for example, severe storms where repair workers risk being struck by falling trees, or situations where it is dangerous to travel by boat to the archipelago to carry out repairs.
The amount of standard compensation
Under the Electricity Market Act, standard compensation for power outages is paid when the outage has lasted more than 12 hours. The amount of the standard compensation is based on the user’s annual network service fee.
- 10% when the outage has lasted at least 12 hours but less than 24 hours
- 25% when the outage has lasted at least 24 hours but less than 48 hours
- 50% when the outage has lasted at least 48 hours but less than 72 hours
- 100% when the outage has lasted at least 72 hours but less than 120 hours
- 150% when the outage has lasted at least 120 hours but less than 288 hours
- 200% when the outage has lasted at least 288 hours.
The maximum compensation amount for a single interruption is 1,500 euros. The total amount of compensation within a calendar year is a maximum of 2,000 euros.
Payment of compensation
You do not need to apply for compensation separately; standard compensation amounts are automatically credited against future electricity bills. Under the Electricity Market Act, the electricity company has six months to pay the standard compensation.
If, for any reason, you have not received the credit within six months, please fill out the form below. (Form is in Finnish.) Once the application is approved, the compensation will be credited to the customer in connection with future electricity or network service bills.