Guernsey Electricity

Most popular questions

• What should I do if I have an electrical emergency?

  If you have an emergency with your electrics then we can help. For a safe, reliable service call us and we will get to you as soon as possible.

  If you believe your emergency is due a wider power failure, please refer to the advice on our Customer Information pages: Power Failure Help

  If however, you have established that the fault is within your property only - call us and we will send out an Electrician.
  

  Between 8.00am and 5.00pm, Monday - Friday please call 01481 241984

  At any other time freephone 0800 587 0285

• I want to know more about road closures and emergency works.

  We frequently update our Facebook and Twitter pages with the latest information on road closures/road works and any emergency works our engineers are undertaking.

  For more information about road works in Guernsey head to www.iris.gov.gg

• I have a power cut, what should I do?

  If your lights go out and your sockets fail, there could be a number of reasons:

  - Your trip switch may have operated

  - Guernsey Electricity's main service fuse in your home may have failed

  - Your pre-payment meter may have run out of credit or may be faulty

  - There may be a power cut or network fault in your area

   

  FIRST check your trip switch, which in the majority of cases is located next to your main fuse box or the electricity meter. 

  Remember on this type of device:

  - UP position is ON
  - DOWN position is OFF

   

  Our engineers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If the fault is due to a failure of our own equipment, the service is free. If, however, the fault proves to be within the customers own property or equipment, we will make a charge for our attendance.

  Call us on Freephone 0800 5870285 and we will send out an Electrician to your property

  If there is a power failure in the island, the Guernsey Electricity Facebook and Twitter pages will be kept up-to-date with the latest information.

• What is my customer number and where can I find it?

  Your customer number can be found at the top of any statement or bill we send you. The image below shows you where the number is located (highlighted in yellow).

  

  If you cannot find your customer number then please call 01481 200700 or email: customer.accounts@electricity.gg

• What are the low rate times on Economy 12?

  The Economy 12 tariff is divided into two rates. The lower rate is made available to customers for a 12 hour period each day. The 12 hours of low rate comprises of a 10 hour period during the night and a 2 hour period during the day time. The normal rate applies for the remaining 12 hours.

  Low Rate Periods:

  A 10 hour period somewhere between 19:45 and 08:15

  A 2 hour period somewhere between 12:00 and 16:40

   

  To find out your exact Economy 12 times contact us by phone on 01481 200700 or email customer.accounts@electricity.gg

• Where can I top-up my meter card/key?

  Top-ups are available from a number of locations in Guernsey. A map and opening times can be found here.

• How do I read my meter?

  To help you understand how to read your own meter, we have created a handy stp-by-step guide.

  A guide to reading your electricity meter

  Once you have taken your meter reading you can submit it through our website here.

My Account

• Am I on the right tariff?

  We offer a range of tariffs to suit your lifestyle and to meet your electricity needs from lighting to heating and everything in-between. Please take a look at our tariffs.

  For more information contact our Customer Accounts Team on 01481 200700 or email: customer.accounts@electricity.gg

• Can I pay my bill online?

  Yes, of course. There are a number of ways you can pay your bill including through our online payment facility. 

  You can also pay in the following ways:

  
  Quarterly - Payment of your account in full will be accepted at Guernsey Electricity’s Cash Desk on the Bridge or Barclays Bank High Street using the Bank Giro Credit on the bottom of the statement.
  
  

  By Post - Cheques should be made payable to GUERNSEY ELECTRICITY LTD. Please write your reference number on the back of the cheque and enclose the remittance advice at the bottom of the statement. If a receipt is required please post your cheque with the whole statement. Our Freepost address is: Guernsey Electricity, FREEPOST, Guernsey, GY1 5SS.
  
  

  Monthly Standing Order - Payments can be arranged by Standing Order, through your bank account, by payment into our Cash Desk or Barclays Bank. If you wish to pay into Barclays bank you will need to contact us for a paying-in book. 
  
  

  Credit/Debit Card - Payment will be accepted by telephone or via our web site. We accept Visa, Delta, Electron, JCB, Mastercard, Eurocard, Maestro and Solo.
  
  

  Regular Payments - Weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments of an account will be accepted at our cash desk or Barclays Bank providing the amount is pre-arranged with one of our Credit Controllers. A simple payment book will be issued to enable you to keep track of your payments. Payments may also be made against a weekly self-reading of the meter.

• What is my customer number and where can I find it?

  Your customer number can be found at the top of any statement or bill we send you. The image below shows you where the number is located (highlighted in yellow).

  

  If you cannot find your customer number then please call 01481 200700 or email: customer.accounts@electricity.gg

• How do I apply for Economy 12?

  All you need to do is complete the form below.

  Download this application Form to apply for Economy 12.

  You can fill in the .pdf on your desktop if you prefer, but you must print out your completed form, sign it and send it to us at: Electricity House, Northside, Vale, Guernsey, GY1 3AD.

• When will I receive my bill?

  You will receive a bill from Guernsey Electricity four times a year. The Parish you live in determines when you will receive it.

  St Andrew & St Peter Port : March, June, September & December
  
  St Sampson & Vale: January, April, July & October
  
  Castel, St Saviour, St Peter, Torteval, Forest & St Martin: Feburary, May, August & November

• Who do I contact to change my address?

  Please call 01481 200700 and ask to speak to the Customer Accounts department or email: customer.accounts@electricity.gg

• What are the low rate times on Economy 12?

  The Economy 12 tariff is divided into two rates. The lower rate is made available to customers for a 12 hour period each day. The 12 hours of low rate comprises of a 10 hour period during the night and a 2 hour period during the day time. The normal rate applies for the remaining 12 hours.

  Low Rate Periods:

  A 10 hour period somewhere between 19:45 and 08:15

  A 2 hour period somewhere between 12:00 and 16:40

   

  To find out your exact Economy 12 times contact us by phone on 01481 200700 or email customer.accounts@electricity.gg

• Where can I top-up my meter card/key?

  Top-ups are available from a number of locations in Guernsey. A map and opening times can be found here.

• Why do I sometimes receive an estimated bill?

  We have installed almost 30,000 automatic smart meters across the island and from time to time a small percentage of customers  can experience communication interruptions with the meters resulting in those customers being sent an estimated statement for that quarter.

  Customers are able to manually send us a meter reading to ensure their bills are up-to-date with the latest useage data.

  Submit a meter reading here.

• How do I read my meter?

  To help you understand how to read your own meter, we have created a handy stp-by-step guide.

  A guide to reading your electricity meter

  Once you have taken your meter reading you can submit it through our website here.

General

• I want to know more about road closures and emergency works.

  We frequently update our Facebook and Twitter pages with the latest information on road closures/road works and any emergency works our engineers are undertaking.

  For more information about road works in Guernsey head to www.iris.gov.gg

• What is Click Before U Dig?

  Click Before U Dig is a FREE online and telephone service that enables you to check for cables in the vicinity.

  We advise you to do this well in advance of the commencement of works and where there is likely to be a high density of cables, allow extra time for planning the work and hand digging.

  For more information see our Click Before U Dig page.

• I have feedback, where do I send it?

  You can send us your feedback by completing the below form.

  Feedback Form

  Once completed you can either email the form to admin@electricity.gg or post it to Guernsey Electricity, Electricity House, Northside, Vale, Guernsey, GY1 3AD.

• Why am I charged a standby charge on my solar panels?

  Where a solar array greater than 25kW generates electricity behind a customer’s meter we apply a standby charge. The standby charge makes a contribution towards the provision and maintenance of the electricity network, which a customer would use if their solar array is not meeting their electricity needs.

  We are currently reviewing our charging methodologies to ensure we fairly recover the costs of the electricity network from all customers connected to the grid.

  The Guernsey Electricity solar array is part of the company’s generation fleet and provides power to the network in a similar manner to the importation cable and the power station. We’re happy to speak to other businesses about installing similar generation assets on the island. 

Moving House

• I’m moving house, how do I request a final meter reading for the property I am moving out of?

  If you are the registered customer and you're leaving the property, we will need to read the meter.

  It's simple, all you have to do is complete our "moving out" form: request a Final Meter Reading

• I’m moving into a new house, what do I need to do?

  It’s simple, complete the continuation of electricity supply form which only applies where a supply already exists. 

• How do I change my address?

  Please call 01481 200700 and ask to speak to the Customer Accounts department or email: customer.accounts@electricity.gg

Emergency

• What should I do if I have an electrical emergency?

  If you have an emergency with your electrics then we can help. For a safe, reliable service call us and we will get to you as soon as possible.

  If you believe your emergency is due a wider power failure, please refer to the advice on our Customer Information pages: Power Failure Help

  If however, you have established that the fault is within your property only - call us and we will send out an Electrician.
  

  Between 8.00am and 5.00pm, Monday - Friday please call 01481 241984

  At any other time freephone 0800 587 0285

• I have a power cut, what should I do?

  If your lights go out and your sockets fail, there could be a number of reasons:

  - Your trip switch may have operated

  - Guernsey Electricity's main service fuse in your home may have failed

  - Your pre-payment meter may have run out of credit or may be faulty

  - There may be a power cut or network fault in your area

   

  FIRST check your trip switch, which in the majority of cases is located next to your main fuse box or the electricity meter. 

  Remember on this type of device:

  - UP position is ON
  - DOWN position is OFF

   

  Our engineers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If the fault is due to a failure of our own equipment, the service is free. If, however, the fault proves to be within the customers own property or equipment, we will make a charge for our attendance.

  Call us on Freephone 0800 5870285 and we will send out an Electrician to your property

  If there is a power failure in the island, the Guernsey Electricity Facebook and Twitter pages will be kept up-to-date with the latest information.

Electricity Supply

• Why is there sometimes smoke coming from the Power Station’s chimney stack?

  We import over 85% of our electricity through the sub-sea cable from low-carbon sources in France. However, during cold periods we can’t meet the island’s electricity demand through the cable alone and we generate the additional electricity on-island at our power station.

  The fuel we use at our power station is Residual Fuel Oil (Heavy Fuel Oil - HFO) and Diesel. The older engines were designed for HFO as a primary fuel but can also use diesel. The medium speeds (ie Engine 3D also known as Freddy)  which we commissioned in 2017 are more suited to both but we operate on HFO as this is currently how the systems are configured.
  

• How are our streetlights powered?

  Over 80% of our streetlights are now LED or use energy efficient bulbs. Our systems automatically turn the lighting on and off at dusk and dawn in busy areas such as St Peter Port and main road junctions. Where safe to do so, lamps are turned off at midnight or 1am to save energy.

  Smart street lighting systems are becoming more common around the world and we are keeping a close eye on developments to see if this technology could be used in Guernsey.

• How do you cope with fluctuating electricity demand? Such as during very cold periods?

  Guernsey Electricity use forecasting software to give an indication of the loads expected each day. Once we have reached the maximum we can import from our 55MW sub-sea cable link, we will use our on-island generation plant to meet the remaining requirement. Our long-term planning and forecasting ensures that we have the correct balance of interconnectors and generators to maintain secure and affordable supplies for the island.