Submit a Claim

If you have suffered a loss or personal injury and believe we may be responsible, you are entitled to submit a claim seeking compensation. Customer claims for compensation must be supported by information and evidence that allows us to evaluate the circumstances surrounding the incident alleged to have caused the loss. 

In general, we are not responsible for damages that are caused by your use of electricity on your premises, or that are the result of circumstances beyond the company's control.  For example, except as set forth below, the Company is not responsible for power outages or voltage fluctuations caused by weather-related conditions (such as lightning, hail, or wind) or other acts of nature, or accidents beyond our control (such as automobiles striking poles) that cause a loss or damage.

Bill Credits and Food/Prescription Medication Spoilage Claims for Outages Lasting 72 hours or more

Customers experiencing 72 consecutive hours – i.e., three straight days – or more of service outage in connection with a declared widespread prolonged outage may be eligible for two separate categories of financial relief, the Extended Outage Credit and Food/Prescription Medication Spoilage Reimbursement. 

Extended Outage Credit

Residential customers experiencing a service outage of 96 consecutive hours – i.e., four straight days – or more as the result of a widespread prolonged outage impacting 20,000 customers or more at the same time will automatically receive a bill credit of $25 for each 24 consecutive hour period without service following the initial 72-hour outage period (72 hrs + 24 hrs = 96 hrs). If eligible, the Extended Outage Credit will be applied to your first billing statement between sixty (60) and ninety (90) days from substantial completion of restoration following a widespread outage event.

The Extended Outage Credit is automatically credited to an eligible customer’s energy bill. No submission of a claim is required to receive the Extended Outage Credit. If, however, you believe you were without power for 96 consecutive hours or more and did not receive the Extended Outage Credit within the timeframe specified above, you may submit a claim for us to review.

Food/Prescription Medication Spoilage Compensation

Residential and small business customers who are without power after 72 consecutive hours as the result of a widespread prolonged outage impacting 20,000 customers or more at the same time may also be eligible to receive reimbursement for food or prescription medication that spoiled due to a lack of refrigeration. 

Eligible residential customers may seek reimbursement for spoiled food of:

• Up to $235 when the claim is provided with an itemized list of items lost with the price of the spoiled item, or
• Up to $540 when provided with proof of loss (ex., pictures of lost food, store receipts) and the price of the spoiled item.

Eligible residential customers may also seek reimbursement for spoiled prescription medication up to the actual value of the spoiled prescription medication when the claim is provided with an itemized list of the lost items and proof of loss. 

Eligible small business customers may seek reimbursement for spoiled food of up to $540 when the claim is provided with an itemized list and proof of the loss. 

View our Extended Outage page for more information on acceptable proof of loss and qualifying small business electric and natural gas customers. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Filing a Claim With Us

What is your claims policy and process?

It is our policy to respond to claims promptly and fairly. We evaluate each claim based on the information you provide and investigate case-by-case (which may involve the review of records, interviews of employees or witnesses, and a technical evaluation). This can take some time depending on the complexity of the incident and the quality of information you provide.

An analyst will contact you about your claim within seven (7) business days after submission. Claims generally take 30-45 business days to resolve, however, the process may take longer if your claim is complex or if additional information/investigation is required. We will notify you in writing with a decision when our investigation is complete. If you have any questions during this process, call 866.577.3787, press Option 3 or e-mail avangridclaims@avangrid.com

Who is responsible for damages?

Other than in cases of claims for the Extended Outage Credit or Food/Prescription Medication Compensation, determination of liability and any resulting payment for damages will be based using the information you provide, as well as any follow-up information we may gather from our own investigation. Based on this information, we will determine our responsibility for damages, if any, under applicable legal standards.

You also have a responsibility in this process. You should retain copies of all receipts so you can provide full and accurate documentation of any loss or damage suffered. Photographs captured for proof of loss can’t be submitted as part of this form; however, please retain them so they are available as needed for our review. Generally, if we are responsible, we will pay the repair costs or the fair market value of an item based on its age and condition. Other than the Extended Outage Credit and Spoilage Compensation for Extended Outages, we will pay damage claims only when there is clear evidence that  we were negligent.

You must also mitigate your damages, which means that you have the duty to try to minimize the loss (such as obtaining ice to prevent food spoilage during extended outages) and to make sure that losses or expenses incurred because of an incident (such as storage costs, car rentals, wage loss, etc.) are not accumulating needlessly and that they are reasonable in relation to the loss.

What supporting documentation is needed?

You can help us to quickly process your claim by completing the claim form as thoroughly as possible. You may be asked to provide photographs as appropriate, and complete and accurate supporting documentation, such as:

What are your claim options?

You may wish to refer your claim to your insurance company. The insurer may be able to reimburse you for losses without an investigation. If so, your insurer and we can then determine whether or not we have any responsibility for the damages and, if so, agree on the amount due.

Please complete the Property and Casualty Claim Form below, adding each item to be included with your claim.