Emergency Protocols
CRITICAL: Gas Smell or Leak
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:
- Tell customer to get everyone OUT of the property immediately
- DO NOT turn on/off any electrical switches or appliances
- Open doors and windows if safe to do so
- Turn off gas at the meter if safe and accessible
- Call National Gas Emergency: 0800 111 999
- Do not re-enter property until cleared by emergency services
Never minimize gas emergencies - always direct to emergency line
CRITICAL: Electrical Emergency
Signs of electrical emergency:
- Burning smell from outlets, switches, or consumer unit
- Sparks, smoke, or flames from electrical equipment
- Buzzing, crackling, or humming from consumer unit
- Exposed or damaged cables
- Electric shocks from appliances
Action: Call 105 (national emergency number) or local DNO immediately
Power Cut
Steps to follow:
- Check if neighbors have power (determines if it's local or just their property)
- Check consumer unit for tripped switches
- If wider power cut, call 105 or check local DNO website
- For vulnerable customers, ensure they're aware of PSR support
- Log incident in customer account
No Heating / Hot Water
Initial Triage Questions
- When did it stop working?
- Any error codes on boiler?
- Is there power to the boiler?
- Any recent work on heating system?
- Customer vulnerable or have young children?
Common Fixes
Boiler Pressure Too Low
- Check pressure gauge (should be 1-1.5 bar)
- If below 1 bar, guide customer to repressurise
- Locate filling loop (usually under boiler)
- Open both valves slowly until pressure reaches 1-1.5 bar
- Close valves and restart boiler
Frozen Condensate Pipe
Winter issue - external pipe frozen:
- Locate external white pipe (condensate pipe)
- Pour warm (NOT boiling) water over pipe
- Insulate pipe to prevent future freezing
- Reset boiler once thawed
When to Escalate
- Vulnerable customer without heating for more than 24 hours
- Customer unable to perform basic fixes
- Boiler showing error codes (advise engineer visit)
- Gas smell or carbon monoxide concerns
Prepayment Emergency Credit
Emergency Credit Eligibility
Emergency credit is available for prepayment customers when:
- It's after 6pm or before 9am
- It's a weekend or bank holiday
- They cannot access a top-up location
Amount: Usually £5-10 depending on meter type
Repayment: Deducted from next top-up
How to Activate
SMETS2 Smart Prepay:
- Access through online account or app
- One-click activation
- Instant credit applied
Traditional Prepay:
- Press red button on meter (usually marked 'A' or 'B')
- Emergency credit activates immediately
- Customer must repay on next top-up
Meter Issues
Meter Not Registering Usage
DO NOT advise customer to stop using energy
Steps to take:
- Confirm meter serial number matches account
- Check if display is working
- Take current readings
- Schedule meter investigation
- Explain customer will be billed for actual usage eventually
Suspected Meter Tampering
- Broken seals on meter
- Unusual meter modifications
- Usage doesn't match household profile
Action: Flag for investigation team, do not accuse customer
Smart Meter Not Communicating
Troubleshooting steps:
- Check IHD (In-Home Display) is plugged in and charged
- Verify meter has signal bars on display
- Restart IHD (remove batteries for 30 seconds)
- If SMETS1, check if in traditional mode
- Book engineer visit if problem persists
Vulnerable Customer Priorities
Priority Services Register (PSR)
Customers on PSR get extra support during emergencies:
- Priority reconnection during power cuts
- Advanced notice of planned work
- Password scheme for visits
- Extra help available during outages
Medical Dependencies
Life-support or medical equipment dependency:
- Highest priority for reconnection
- Must be registered on PSR
- Advise backup power plan
- Never disconnect without extensive safeguarding