supply reliability
At United Energy we recognise the importance of providing customers with a reliable electricity supply.
We are committed to improving the reliability of electricity supply and will continue to implement a range of initiatives to enhance our electricity distribution system.
- Why Outages Occur
- Improvement Program
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Voltage Variations
- Powerline Clearance & Your Property
A community announcement from United Energy regarding your electricity supply
United Energy is licenced by the Victorian Government to distribute electricity across Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula. We serve some 630,000 customers and own and manage more than 210,000 poles along with about 13,000 kilometres of wires.
We are committed to providing a safe and reliable electricity supply to all customers, together with a high level of customer service.
| Reliability Service Level Targets for 2012 | Urban | Rural |
|---|---|---|
| On average the number of minutes in a year a customer will experience loss of power due to planned interruptions (e.g. for maintenance work) | 27 | 93 |
| On average, the total number of minutes in a year a customer will experience loss of power due to unplanned interruptions (e.g. Lightning strikes or wildlife) | 55 | 99 |
| On average, the number of minutes any unplanned interruption is likely to last | 61 | 58 |
| average, the number of times a customer will experience loss of power for greater than one minute due to unplanned interruptions. | 0.9 | 1.7 |
| On average, the number of times a customer will experience loss of power for less than one minute due to unplanned interruptions | 1.1 | 2.1 |
In addition to these reliability service level network targets, United Energy provides a number of service guarantees as part of our commitment to customers.
These Include:
- If we are more than 15 minutes late for a scheduled appointment you will be credited $20.
- Where we make an appointment with a customer, we will specify a range of times. The timeframe will be:
- no greater than two hours where the customer is required to be in attendance, and
- no greater than one day where the customer is not required or chooses not to be in attendance.
- If we do not connect your new electricity supply on the scheduled date, for every day we are late you will be credited $50 on your electricity account, up to a maximum of $250.
- If you report a faulty street light next to your house or business that we are responsible for maintaining, and we do not fix it within two business days, you will be credited $10.
- If you experience more than 10 unplanned sustained interruptions (an interruption to your supply that lasts for longer than one minute) in a year, you will be credited $100. A further $50 will be credited if you experience more than 15 unplanned sustained interruptions in a year and a further $150 if you experience more than 30 unplanned sustained interruptions in a year.
- If you experience more than 20 hours of unplanned sustained interruptions in a year you will be credited $100. If you experience more than 30 hours of unplanned sustained interruptions in a year you will be credited a further $50. If you experience more than 60 hours of unplanned sustained interruptions in a year you will be credited a further $150.
- If you experience between 24 and 36 momentary (up to one minute) interruptions in a year you will be credited $25,
- If you experience more than 36 momentary interruptions in a year you will be credited $35
While United Energy makes every effort to meet its service guarantees, there may be circumstances where payments are made to our customers to compensate them for the inconvenience caused by outages. We expect that less than 2,500 customers will be entitled to receive guaranteed service level payments in 2012. It is important to note that payments for interruptions are credited by United Energy via your energy retailer.