What should I do in a power cut?

The first useful question is whether it is your property or the wider area, because the response is completely different. After that it is mostly about food, warmth and information, all of which are easier with a small amount of preparation.

Safety

What you'll need

• Torch
• Charged phone
• Power bank (optional)
• Blankets (optional)

Step by step

1. Check whether neighbours have power.Look out of the window at street lights and other houses. It immediately tells you whether this is your consumer unit or a wider outage.
2. If it is just you, check the consumer unit.Look for a tripped breaker or RCD. Turn it back on. If it trips again immediately, unplug appliances one at a time to find the faulty one.
3. If it is wider, report it to the network operator.Not your energy supplier — the distribution network operator maintains the cables. Many countries have a short national number for power cuts.
4. Keep the fridge and freezer closed.A closed fridge keeps food safe for about four hours and a full freezer for around 24-48. Opening them repeatedly is what causes losses.
5. Use torches, not candles.Candles cause fires, particularly in a disrupted household with people moving around in the dark. Phone torches work but drain the battery.
6. Conserve phone battery.Turn on battery saver, lower the brightness, and avoid streaming. The phone is your source of information and your way to call for help.
7. Keep warm rather than heating the house.Layers, blankets, and everyone in one room. Most heating systems need electricity for pumps and controls even when the fuel is gas.
8. Turn off electric heaters and cookers at the wall.So they do not all come on at once when power returns. Leave one light on so you know when it is back.

Tips

• Register on the priority services register if anyone in the household is vulnerable or depends on electrical medical equipment. It is free and gives you advance warning and support.
• A wind-up or battery torch and a power bank kept charged turns a power cut from an ordeal into an inconvenience.
• Some households are eligible for compensation for long outages. Note the times it started and ended.

Common mistakes

• Using a barbecue or camping stove indoors for heat or cooking — They produce carbon monoxide, which is odourless and has killed people during outages. Never indoors, never in a garage, never in a tent.
• Opening the freezer to check on the food — Each opening costs hours of safe storage time. A full closed freezer keeps food frozen for a day or more.
• Using candles for light — They are a significant fire risk in a dark, disrupted house. Torches are safer and give better light.

Questions people ask