SSEN encourages Highlanders to register for free Priority Service
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The company responsible for the electricity networks in the north of Scotland is reminding everyone of the free help and support offered by its Priority Services Register.
"We all rely on electricity," said Louise Jones, social obligations manager for SSEN Distribution.
"From the day-to-day essentials such as heating our homes and running a business all the way through to those little pleasures such as making a hot drink when you watch TV, electricity is at the heart of our daily lives.
"But for some people, it’s more than that – they need electricity to power their stairlift, keep their baby’s milk bottles sterile or make sure their ventilator is working.
"And for those customers with a particular reliance on electricity, SSEN has its Priority Services Register, which offers extra care and support on the rare occasions there is a power cut."
The PSR helps by offering eligible customers:
· A dedicated 24-hour priority services phone number
· Priority updates during a power cut
· The option of nominating someone for SSEN to contact on their behalf
· Information in the format most suited, for example Braille or audio CD
· A security password to keep everyone safe
Ms Jones went on: “Since the Priority Services Register first started seven years ago, we now have around 158,000 customers across the north of Scotland benefitting from the free help and support it can offer.
“In our Highlands & Islands region, which includes the mainland Highland area, the Western Isles and Orkney, we have nearly 32,000 customers already signed up to the PSR, but we’re always keen to make sure that nobody who is eligible is missing out.
“Being on the PSR can offer our customers the extra peace of mind that comes with knowing help is out there on the rare occasions there is a fault on our network, or if the risk of bad weather may cause damage to the electricity infrastructure and cause a power cut.
“For example, ahead of Storm Arwen we proactively contacted 118,585 customers prior to weather coming in to make them aware of the potential for power cuts, and also in the days afterwards to check on their welfare and see if there was anything in particular we could do to help.
“We know there may still be customers who haven’t thought about signing up, and so I’d encourage everyone to take a few minutes to think about how they’d manage if the power was to go off unexpectedly, and if they think they’d need a bit of extra help please get in touch with us.”
Customers are eligible for SSEN’s Priority Services Register if they:
· Are deaf or hard of hearing
· Have a disability
· Live with children under five
· Are blind or partially sighted
· Have a chronic illness
· Use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity
· Are over 60
· Are categorised at ‘high risk’ or ‘extremely high risk’ of severe illness from coronavirus
SSEN produces its Priority Services Register leaflets in 11 different languages, all of which are also available to read and download from its website; for more information, please visit ssen.co.uk/priorityservices
Click here to watch Pamela Harvey, customer relationship manager for SSEN's Highlands & Islands region, explain more about the ways the PSR can help during bad weather and storms.
