£40 energy compensation: the Guaranteed Standards explained

Great Britain · Rules checked 24 October 2026 · Not legal advice

The Standards of Performance Regulations 2015 set minimum service standards. Miss one, and the supplier must pay you £40 within 10 working days. If it doesn't pay on time, it owes you another £40 (regulation 8).

Standard	What the supplier must do
Appointments (reg 3)	Offer a slot of no more than 4 hours, keep it, and not cancel less than 1 working day before without your agreement. First-time smart meter appointments requested from 23 February 2026: a date within 30 working days.
Faulty credit meter (reg 4)	Initial assessment and action within 5 working days.
Faulty prepayment meter (reg 5)	Respond within 3 hours (working day) or 4 hours (other days).
Smart meter not working as intended (reg 5A)	Initial assessment and action within 5 working days.
Switching (regs 6ZA to 6C)	Switch within 5 working days, and put right switches made by mistake.
Final bill (reg 6CA)	Within 6 weeks of the supply ending.
Credit refund (reg 6D)	Within 10 working days of the final bill.

Is it automatic?

The payment is due whether you ask or not, but it doesn't always arrive. If it hasn't, claim it in writing (letter 08). There are exemptions, such as a genuine dispute about whether the standard was missed, or exceptional circumstances like severe weather (regulation 9).