Network reliability
But there’s always room for improvement. That’s why we’re always looking at how we can provide a high-quality service to a growing population in better ways.
Electricity supply reliability
The targets for service reliability that have been agreed with the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) and are relevant for all forms of powerlines in our region are shown in the following table:
Note: The targets are based on average performance across the network therefore some customers may receive a level of service above or below average results. United Energy is required by section 6.3 of the Electricity Distribution Code to pay compensation to our customers if we fail to meet certain specified service levels. In 2022/23, United Energy anticipates making 3,000 payments to our customers.
| Reliability Service Level Network Targets for 2023/24 | Urban | Rural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAIDI Planned (On average, the number of minutes in a year a customer will experience loss of power due to planned interruptions) | 73.81 | 73.81 | |
| SAIDI Unplanned (On average, the number of minutes in a year a customer will experience loss of power due to unplanned interruptions) | 42.7 | 131.07 | |
| CAIDI (On average, the number of minutes any unplanned interruption is likely to last) | 62 | 68 | |
| SAIFI (On average, the number of times a customer will experience loss of power for longer than one minute due to unplanned interruptions) | 0.69 | 1.92 | |
| MAIFI (On average, the number of times a customer will experience loss of power for <=3 minutes due to unplanned interruptions) | 0.96 | 4.2 |
Guaranteed Service Levels
Any credits you are entitled to as part of our service guarantees will be credited to your electricity account via your energy retailer. While we make every effort to meet our service guarantees, there may be circumstances where payments are made to our customers.
We expect that 3,000 customers will be entitled to receive service guarantee payments in 2023/24.
The below GSL period related to July 2023-June 2024. For transitional period GSL's from January 2023-June 2024 please visit the ESC website.
Note: Service guarantee payments do not apply to customer supply interruptions in some circumstances such as planned interruptions, customer supply interruptions due to faults on the transmission network, load shedding or during major weather events as defined by the Australian Energy Regulator.
| GSLs | Payment |
|---|---|
| If we are more than 15 minutes late for a scheduled appointment | $35 |
| If we do not connect your new electricity supply by the mutually agreed date | $80 per day, capped at $400 |
| If you are the first to report a faulty streetlight that we are responsible for and we do not repair it within two business days | $25 |
| If in a financial year you experience unplanned interruptions of greater than three minutes- more than 8 interruptions- more than 12 interruptions- more than 24 interruptions | $130$190$380 |
| If in a financial year you experience momentary interruptions of up to three minutes- more than 24 interruptions- more than 36 interruptions | $40$50 |
| If in a financial year you experience unplanned sustained interruptions- more than 18 hours- more than 30 hours- more than 60 hours | $130$190$380 |
| More than 12 hours unplanned sustained interruption on a Major Event Day** | $90 |
**A Major Event Day (MED) is an industry term used to indicate abnormal performance in supply reliability due to events outside our control such as extreme weather and storms. Interruptions that occur on MEDs are not included in restoration of low reliability cumulative GSL payments however, customers may be eligible for MED payment depending on the duration of their outage.
How we work
Network safety
