Power Cuts

Power Cuts: A Household Guide

If the electricity goes off, check whether your neighbours have lost supply too. Switch off appliances that could be dangerous if they come back on unattended, leave one light on so you know when power returns, and keep fridge and freezer doors closed. Report the cut to your local network operator by calling 105 free in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, call NIE Networks on 03457 643 643.¹

Power cuts can result from severe weather, damaged infrastructure, accidental damage, network faults or malicious attacks. They may be local, regional or national. Wider outages could potentially last several days, so a little preparation matters: keep torches, batteries, warm clothing, non-perishable food and at least 3 days' worth of bottled water, using 3 litres per person per day.²

What to do when the power goes off

Start with the checks and actions below. The fuller guide to what to do when the electricity goes off covers the same sequence in more detail.

1. Check the extent of the cut. If neighbours still have power, check your own trip switch. Westminster City Council advises switching it back on if it is off. If it trips again, an appliance may be faulty: unplug all appliances and reset the switch. See how to check your trip switches.⁴
2. Switch off anything that should not restart unattended, including straighteners and stoves. Leave one light on. The guide to unplugging appliances explains which items deserve particular attention.⁵
3. Keep cold food cold. Keep fridge and freezer doors closed to protect their temperature.⁵
4. Check on vulnerable neighbours or family, and tell a friend or neighbour if you feel anxious. A neighbour checking checklist can help you agree what assistance is needed.²
5. If the cut is localised and you can travel safely, staying with friends or relatives until power returns is an option.²

Think about equipment before you need it: know how to open an electric garage door manually, what to do with a stairlift when electricity fails and how to look after a fish tank without power. A smart meter does not change the need to report a network fault.

Keep away from fallen power lines

Do not touch anything that may be in contact with a cable, including a vehicle or tree branches. Keep other people away rather than trying to move the line or assess the damage yourself.⁷

The detailed guidance on fallen overhead lines explains the reporting steps. If a vehicle is involved, follow the specific advice for when a vehicle touches an overhead line rather than assuming the vehicle or ground is safe. Damage to other electrical equipment can also be reported through 105; see reporting a damaged or open substation.⁸

If someone visits or calls claiming to be from the electricity network, use the checks in checking a caller is genuine. Priority Services Register customers can ask for an identification and password arrangement.

Report it and get updates

Report online at powercut105.com, where you can also track updates, or call 105 free. The number connects you to the distribution network operator responsible for restoring supply, not your electricity retailer. Anyone can use it, regardless of supplier, from most landlines and mobiles. Save it in your phone and include it in your written emergency numbers list.⁹

Use 105 for outage updates and to report damage to power lines or substations. If there is a serious immediate risk, call the emergency services too. In Northern Ireland, use 03457 643 643 instead.¹⁰

National cuts are rare, but local outages still happen. Read how long restoration may take, why electricity goes off, how storms affect the network and how Britain's electricity network is run. The site also covers heatwave outages and the response to a nationwide blackout.¹¹

Getting your home ready

Build preparation around light, information, communication, warmth, food and water. The household preparation guide and power cut kit checklist turn these into a room-by-room check.

• Torch and spare batteries, with battery candles as another lighting option.
• Wind-up or battery-powered radio tuned to local news, or access to a car radio.
• Charged mobile phone, power bank or solar charger, plus written important numbers.
• Warm clothes, thick jumpers and blankets.
• Non-perishable food, including food that does not need cooking.
• At least 3 days' bottled water, allowing 3 litres per person per day.²

Keep devices ready using the what to keep charged checklist, and write down who does what with the household emergency plan. The wider emergency kit, water and emergency food guides cover household reserves.

If you receive advance notice, fill a flask with hot water and prepare a hot water bottle, back up important files and charge your phone. Registration for extra support is free and takes only a few minutes for eligible households.²

Medical equipment and the Priority Services Register

If you use powered medical equipment, make a plan now with your care provider or clinical care team. It should set out what you or the person you care for must do during an outage and who to contact. Power cuts can also affect people who rely on refrigerated medicines. Use the medical equipment guide, its household checklist and the advice on keeping medicine cold.¹

Energy suppliers and network operators both keep a Priority Services Register. It is available in England, Scotland and Wales, with eligibility varying by provider. Depending on your circumstances, support can include:¹⁵

• priority support in an emergency and advance notice of scheduled cuts wherever possible;
• bills and account information in large print or braille;
• an identification and password scheme for visits or calls;
• nomination of a trusted relative or carer to receive communications and bills;
• regular meter readings, help reconnecting gas and relocation of a prepayment meter you cannot safely reach.

Eligibility includes certain disabilities and long-term conditions, mental health conditions, sensory conditions and conditions requiring powered medical equipment. Help can also be temporary, for example after injury, a hospital stay, bereavement or job loss. Scottish guidance also lists households with children under 5 and people over 60 among those who may qualify.¹⁵

Join through your supplier or network operator. Contact gas and electricity suppliers separately where they differ, and register again after switching supplier or moving home. You can also register a relative for extra help.¹⁷

Planned cuts and emergency rotas

A planned interruption is different from a sudden fault. Where possible, Priority Services Register customers can receive advance notice of scheduled cuts. Prepare by charging devices, filling a flask, making up a hot water bottle and backing up important work. See planned interruptions and how to prepare.²

In a national energy shortage, cuts could instead be scheduled on a rotating area-by-area basis. Each electricity meter has an alphabetical block letter, and different letters are timetabled for disconnection. Wigan Council describes typical cuts of around three hours once or twice a day per block letter.⁵

Find your letter by entering your postcode at powercut105.com, checking the top half of your electricity bill or calling 105. The guides to rota disconnections, finding your block letter and sites protected from emergency disconnection explain the arrangements. Do not wait for a shortage to look up the letter or make a medical plan.

Keeping warm and fed in a long cut

Reduce the space you need to heat. Use blankets and layered clothing, close curtains and shut the doors of unused rooms to keep heat in. The guides to keeping warm without electricity and warming one room develop this approach. Cold affects some people more severely, so check cold homes and health and keep in contact with anyone at risk.¹

Keep fridge and freezer doors closed. When supply returns, use the fridge and freezer food guide and what food to throw away rather than tasting food to test it. Store non-perishable food that does not need cooking and keep your 3-day water reserve.³

For heating and cooking without mains power, a gas hob may be lit by hand where its design allows, but never use barbecues or camping stoves indoors. Do not treat a gas hob as room heating: read why heating a room with a gas hob is unsafe and whether gas central heating works without electricity.

Take care with hot water bottles, including hot water bottles for children and using hot water bottles with electric blankets.

Light, phones and backup power safely

Use torches and battery-powered lights first. If you use candles, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service instructs: “keep candles well away from anything that could catch fire”. Battery candles, torches and spare batteries avoid an exposed flame. See emergency lighting and staying safe in the dark, including falls, fire and shock. Check that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms will keep working without mains power.¹²

Backup options range from a phone power bank to a power station or generator. Each suits a different load, and a small power bank is not household heating or cooking backup. Generators carry a serious carbon monoxide danger: never run one indoors and follow the maker's own safety instructions. Read backup power at home and carbon monoxide risks when heating is off before choosing or connecting equipment.

Digital landlines and broadband may not work without power. GOV.UK guidance says that if you have no mobile or no mobile signal, your landline provider should offer a solution such as a battery backup unit, allowing emergency calls, including 999, during a cut. Arrange this in advance rather than during the outage.²⁰

Keep a charged phone and power bank, write down essential numbers and use local radio or operator messages for updates. Staying informed and in touch also explains Emergency Alerts and communication options.

When the power comes back

The light you left on should show that supply has returned. Check that appliances you switched off are in a safe state before turning them back on. If only your home remains without power, check the trip switch: reset it once, and if it switches off again, unplug appliances before resetting it so you can identify a possible fault.⁴

Follow what to check when the supply returns, then inspect chilled and frozen food. Do not assume everything is safe simply because the fridge feels cold again; use the food disposal guidance. Check neighbours who may need help restarting equipment, and recharge the power banks and batteries you used so your kit is ready again.

Compensation and extra help

For an unplanned cut, report directly to your network operator online or through 105. If supply is off because of a faulty energy meter, contact your energy supplier instead. Ofgem sets out the following payments:²¹

Payment may be made through your energy supplier and added to your energy account or prepayment meter.²²

Practical assistance can matter as much as payment during a long outage. The extra help from network operators page explains available support, while the Priority Services Register is the route to telling suppliers and operators about your needs before an emergency.

Who to contact in each nation

The reporting route is consistent across Great Britain, but Northern Ireland has its own number. The Priority Services Register covers England, Scotland and Wales; eligibility details can differ between providers and nations.¹

Wherever you live, call the emergency services as well if there is a serious immediate risk. Keep the relevant number written down as well as saved in your phone, and do not wait for a cut to arrange medical support or communications backup.¹⁰