To prepare for a longer power cut, plan for a few days of reduced services rather than trying to run the home normally. Protect health and safety first: medical equipment, warmth or cooling, drinking water, safe food, lighting and communications. Refrigeration and selected household equipment come next. Televisions, electric showers, tumble dryers and most electric heating should not be part of a limited battery plan.
The UK electricity system is resilient and most power cuts are short and local. However, the UK Government’s power-cut guidance says more widespread outages can happen and could potentially last several days. A long cut can also affect boilers, mobile masts, broadband, water pumping, card payments, lifts, electrically operated doors and fuel availability. Preparation therefore needs to extend beyond torches.
Prepare for a power cut lasting several days
Build the plan around the people and systems in the home. A household in a city flat has different dependencies from a rural property with a private water pump, while someone using powered medical equipment needs a specific clinical contingency rather than a generic emergency kit.
| Need | Prepare before a cut | Longer-outage priority |
|---|---|---|
| Health | Medicines, care plan, device instructions, charged approved backup batteries | Act on the clinical plan and relocate before backup is exhausted |
| Water | Sealed drinking water and separate allowances for babies, pets and medical needs | Preserve safe water for drinking, food and hand hygiene |
| Food | Ready-to-eat food, manual tin opener and fridge thermometer | Keep doors closed, monitor temperature and use food in a safe order |
| Temperature | Layers, blankets, curtains, safe alternative heating or a relocation plan | Concentrate people in a suitable room and monitor higher-risk occupants |
| Lighting | Battery torches, lanterns and spare batteries | Use low-power lights and avoid candles where possible |
| Communication | Charged phones, power banks, radio, paper contacts and meeting points | Use brief scheduled updates and conserve batteries |
| Electricity | A written load list and tested backup with compatible cables | Power only agreed priority loads and record remaining capacity |
| Access and money | Know manual door releases and keep a modest, securely stored cash reserve | Avoid unnecessary journeys and retain receipts for reasonable outage costs |
Government preparedness guidance recommends considering supplies for an emergency lasting a few days. Build the kit gradually and rotate food, water and batteries through normal household use. Follow the relevant date markings and replace anything with damaged packaging or declining condition. This is usually cheaper and more dependable than buying a large collection of unfamiliar equipment just before bad weather.
Write a first-hour power-cut plan
The first hour should establish whether the problem is inside the property, report a wider outage and prevent new hazards. Keep this sequence on paper beside the emergency kit:
- Check for immediate danger. Keep away from fallen or damaged power lines and report them. Call 999 or 112 if someone is in immediate danger.
- Establish the scope. Look safely at neighbouring properties or street lighting. Check the consumer unit only if it is safe and you understand it. Do not repeatedly reset a protective device that trips again.
- Report the cut. In England, Scotland and Wales, call 105 free or use the local electricity network operator’s outage service. In Northern Ireland, call Northern Ireland Electricity Networks on 03457 643643.
- Make cooking and heating appliances safe. Turn off irons, ovens, hobs, electric fires, fryers and other heat-producing equipment that could restart unattended.
- Protect electronics. Unplug sensitive equipment where practical. Leave one light switched on so the household can tell when power returns.
- Keep cold storage closed. Do not open the fridge or freezer merely to inspect it. Note the time the electricity failed.
- Check people and critical equipment. Confirm medical-device runtime, indoor temperature, phone charge and the condition of anyone who may be vulnerable.
- Move to the longer-cut plan early. If restoration is uncertain, start conserving battery, water and safe food immediately rather than after supplies are partly exhausted.
Decide what backup electricity is actually for
Long runtime comes mainly from reducing the load. Before buying a battery, list each item that must run, measure or verify its wattage, include the number of hours required and check whether it has a higher start-up surge. The guide to backup power for a UK home explains the main battery, solar and generator options in more detail.
| Priority | Typical loads | Planning approach |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Health and safety | Approved medical-device backup, low-power lighting, phone and radio | Reserve capacity and do not borrow it for entertainment or comfort |
| 2: Communications | Router, fibre terminal, landline equipment and phone charging | Run continuously only if necessary; otherwise use scheduled communication periods |
| 3: Food and household systems | Fridge, freezer, water pump or heating controls | Measure running power and start-up demand; operate selectively where safe |
| 4: Comfort | Laptop, small fan and limited entertainment | Use only after higher priorities have a safe energy margin |
| Usually unsuitable for small backup | Electric shower, immersion heater, kettle, oven, fan heater and tumble dryer | High-power loads can empty a portable battery quickly or exceed its output limit |
Estimate battery runtime before relying on it
A simple planning estimate is:
Runtime in hours = usable battery energy in watt-hours ÷ total load in watts
For example, a nominal 512 Wh battery with an assumed 85% available after conversion losses provides about 435 Wh. With a steady 25 W load, the planning estimate is 435 ÷ 25, or approximately 17 hours. Real results vary with battery condition, temperature, inverter overhead, cycling loads and start-up surges. Use the Backup Battery Runtime Calculator to compare your own loads and assumptions.
Test the complete setup while mains power is available. Confirm connectors, voltage, polarity, earthing requirements, automatic changeover behaviour and how the battery reports remaining capacity. Recharge it on a schedule and after every use. The site’s power bank buying guide covers phone-scale backup, while the portable power station buying guide covers larger loads.
Ordinary grid-connected solar panels usually do not mean that household sockets will work during a cut. A home that is intended to operate in backup or island mode needs compatible equipment, safe disconnection from the grid and the correct earthing and protection arrangements. The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s island-mode guidance illustrates why this is professional design and installation work.
Prepare for a cold or overheated home
A gas or oil boiler normally needs electricity for controls, ignition, pumps or fans. Heat pumps and electric heating stop as well. In cold weather, close curtains at dusk, shut doors to unused rooms, block obvious draughts without covering permanent ventilation, add several thin clothing layers and gather in one suitable room. Keep moving gently at regular intervals if health and mobility allow.
Babies, young children, pregnant women, older people, people who need care and those with some health conditions may be affected sooner by cold. Do not wait until someone is unwell before considering a warm alternative location. The detailed guide to keeping a home warm during a power cut covers safe room selection, clothing, bedding and relocation decisions.
A long summer cut creates a different risk. Close blinds and curtains on windows receiving direct sun, use the coolest part of the home and open windows when the outside air is cooler than the indoor air. Preserve drinking water and check regularly on people at higher risk from heat. Follow current NHS, UK Health Security Agency and local emergency advice if extreme temperatures coincide with the outage.
Manage fridge and freezer food safely
Food safety becomes a practical deadline during a longer cut. The Food Standards Agency’s power-cut guidance applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Food Standards Scotland publishes substantially similar household guidance.
| Storage | Official planning estimate | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Closed fridge | Should stay cold for up to 4 hours | Keep the door closed and use a fridge thermometer where available |
| Full closed freezer | Food may stay frozen for up to 48 hours | Keep closed; actual time depends on appliance and room temperature |
| Half-full closed freezer | Food may stay frozen for about 24 hours | Keep closed and assess using official guidance when opened |
| Fridge below 8°C | Food can remain stored during the cut | Continue monitoring and minimise door opening |
| Fridge reaches 8°C or above | Food that normally needs refrigeration should be eaten within 4 hours | After that period, discard affected high-risk food in line with official advice |
These times are estimates, not guarantees. Appliance construction, how full it is, room temperature and door opening all matter. Eat safely stored chilled food first, then suitable defrosted frozen food, then short-life room-temperature food. Keep tins, bottles and dried food for later. Take extra care with food for young children, pregnant people, older people and anyone with an underlying condition or weakened immune system.
Do not create a greater risk by hurriedly cooking everything on an unsuitable appliance. Follow the appliance manufacturer’s instructions, cook food thoroughly and keep raw and ready-to-eat food separate. Ready-to-eat meals that require no refrigeration, cooking or added water are particularly useful during the later stages of an outage.
Store water and food that work without electricity
Mains water can be disrupted if pumping, treatment or local building systems lose power. A high-rise flat may lose tap pressure even when the wider water network is operating. Store sealed drinking water and do not count a water butt, pond or unknown outdoor source as potable water.
Current UK Government guidance gives 2.5 to 3 litres per person per day as a minimum drinking quantity and 10 litres per person per day as a more comfortable allowance that includes basic cooking and hygiene. Additional water may be needed for formula feeding, medical devices and pets. The guide to how much emergency water to store provides household calculations.
- Choose food that can be eaten cold or needs little water and fuel.
- Keep a manual tin opener and utensils that are easy to clean.
- Include foods suitable for allergies, medical diets, babies and pets.
- Use normal cupboard stock and follow its date markings and storage instructions.
- Keep hand sanitiser and suitable wipes, while recognising that soap and safe water remain preferable for handwashing where available.
- If the tap supply becomes interrupted or authorities issue a water-quality notice, follow the water provider’s instructions rather than assuming boiling will solve every type of contamination.
See What to Do During a Water Supply Outage if the electricity failure also affects the taps.
Keep communications available for more than one day
A digital landline, broadband router and full-fibre optical network terminal all need household power. Mobile masts may have backup, but service can weaken as batteries run down, faults accumulate or networks become congested. Do not use a phone as the main torch and avoid spending limited energy on continuous news feeds.
- Keep a battery or wind-up radio, spare batteries and written local frequencies.
- Store important phone numbers and the household plan on paper.
- Use short messages and agreed check-in times rather than repeated calls.
- Download offline maps and useful documents before severe weather.
- If possible, keep access to SIMs using different underlying mobile networks.
- Power the router and any fibre terminal only when internet access is useful, unless a medical, security or communication service needs a continuous connection.
The full Emergency Communications for UK Homes guide explains mobile-network diversity, Wi-Fi Calling, radio, digital landlines, local walkie-talkies and satellite options. A paper plan remains necessary because every electronic route can fail.
Keep a modest amount of cash securely if doing so is appropriate for the household. A widespread outage can affect card terminals, cash machines and fuel pumps. This does not justify storing a large sum at home; the purpose is to handle small necessary purchases if local shops can trade but electronic payment is unavailable.
Make a specific plan for medical and additional needs
Contact the clinical team, care provider and equipment supplier before an outage if anyone uses oxygen equipment, dialysis equipment, a powered wheelchair, stairlift, feeding equipment, refrigerated medicine, telecare or another electricity-dependent system. Ask for the safe runtime, approved battery options, warning signs, who to call and where to go if power is not restored.
Join the electricity supplier’s and network operator’s free Priority Services Registers if eligible. Support can include priority assistance during an emergency and, where possible, advance notice of planned cuts. Northern Ireland providers use Customer Care Registers. Registration is useful support, but it is not a substitute for backup power, clinical instructions or a safe place to relocate.
- Keep several days of prescribed medicine as advised, without stockpiling or changing treatment.
- Keep paper copies of prescriptions, equipment instructions and clinical contacts.
- Ask a trusted person to check in if telecare or phone services stop working.
- Learn any user-operated manual releases for stairlifts, doors, beds and other relevant equipment, following the supplier’s or building manager’s instructions.
- Plan accessible transport and a suitable destination before the battery reaches its final reserve.
- Do not connect medical equipment to a consumer battery or generator unless the equipment supplier confirms that the power source and setup are suitable.
Use generators and fuel-burning equipment safely
A petrol or diesel generator produces carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that cannot be seen or smelled. Never operate one inside a home, garage, shed or other enclosed or partly enclosed space. UK Chief Medical Officers’ emergency material advises placing a generator outdoors at least 6 metres from the building, with its exhaust facing away from doors and windows. Follow the manufacturer if it requires a greater distance or additional precautions.
- Keep the generator dry without enclosing it or obstructing ventilation.
- Use only the correct fuel, cables, protective devices and connection method specified for the equipment.
- Never refuel hot or running equipment. Store fuel only in lawful, suitable containers and quantities, away from ignition sources.
- Never improvise a lead that feeds generator power backwards through a household socket.
- Have any connection intended to energise fixed household circuits designed and installed by a competent electrical professional with proper changeover, isolation, earthing and protection.
- Keep working carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, and never ignore an alarm or symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion or weakness.
Camping stoves, barbecues and outdoor gas appliances must not be brought indoors for cooking or heating. Use every appliance only for its stated purpose and location. A long outage does not make an unsafe combustion appliance safe.
Adapt the plan to the property
| Home type | Common overlooked dependencies | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or high-rise | Lift, entry system, communal heating, corridor lighting and water booster pumps | Ask the building manager about backup, manual access and evacuation arrangements |
| Rented home | Landlord-controlled boiler, alarms, gates and communal services | Report faults, request instructions and use portable equipment without altering fixed wiring |
| Rural property | Private water pump, sewage pump, oil-boiler controls, poor mobile signal and longer travel | Give these loads explicit priority and arrange communication and relocation alternatives |
| All-electric home | Cooking, space heating and hot water all stop together | Prioritise no-cook food, insulation, safe relocation and a realistic low-power plan |
| Home with solar PV | Standard inverter may shut down when the grid fails | Confirm whether a professionally installed backup circuit and island mode actually exist |
Ask questions while services are working. Building managers, landlords, network operators, care teams and equipment suppliers may be difficult to reach during a widespread outage.
What to do if the cut continues
- Check the network operator’s restoration estimate at sensible intervals and listen for official radio updates.
- Record battery state, fuel, safe water, indoor temperature, fridge temperature and medical-device runtime.
- Use food in the safe order and stop opening cold storage unnecessarily.
- Check nearby relatives and neighbours, particularly anyone living alone or relying on powered equipment.
- Charge devices when a safe opportunity becomes available, but retain a protected reserve for health and emergency communication.
- Use designated community support or welfare facilities if local authorities open them.
- Relocate early if the home is becoming dangerously cold or hot, water and sanitation have failed, medical backup is running low or the property cannot be accessed safely.
If the outage is prolonged, the household may be entitled to a payment from the electricity network operator. Eligibility depends on the cause, scale, weather category and duration. The thresholds and amounts are updated, so check Ofgem’s current power-cut compensation rules. Record the start and end time, retain messages and keep receipts, but do not assume every cost will be reimbursed.
When the electricity returns
- Check that heat-producing appliances are off before reconnecting other loads.
- Allow the supply to settle, then reconnect priority equipment gradually rather than switching everything on at once.
- Check the fridge and freezer temperatures and follow current food-safety guidance.
- Restart and check boilers, pumps, routers, alarms, clocks and medical equipment according to their instructions.
- Do not use equipment, sockets or cables that are wet, damaged, scorched or behaving abnormally.
- Recharge backup batteries, replace used supplies and record what ran out sooner than expected.
- Update the plan while the experience is fresh, including measured runtime and any missed household dependency.
Longer power-cut preparation checklist
- Write down 105 for Great Britain or 03457 643643 for Northern Ireland.
- Prepare household supplies for a few days of disruption.
- Store drinking water and ready-to-eat food for every person and pet.
- Keep a fridge thermometer and record the outage start time.
- Provide a torch or lantern for occupied areas, plus spare batteries.
- Keep warm layers, bedding and a safe relocation plan.
- Create a written priority-load list and calculate realistic battery runtime.
- Test power banks, portable power stations, UPS units and all required cables.
- Check whether solar, batteries or a generator can legally and safely supply fixed circuits.
- Keep phones charged, a radio ready and important contacts on paper.
- Know the approved user procedures for powered doors, gates and mobility equipment where applicable.
- Make a clinical plan for every electricity-dependent medical need.
- Join relevant Priority Services Registers or Customer Care Registers.
- Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
- Review the plan twice a year and after changing any critical equipment.
Longer power-cut resources
- GOV.UK Prepare power-cut guidance covers reporting numbers, household supplies, heating, communications, food and support for medical needs.
- GOV.UK Prepare household emergency guidance provides a broader plan and kit list for disruption lasting a few days.
- Public health advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers links to official emergency scripts on food, water, sanitation and extreme temperatures during the unlikely event of a national outage.
- Food Standards Agency power-cut advice gives fridge and freezer times, temperature limits and cooking guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Food Standards Scotland power-cut guidance provides the corresponding Scottish advice on cold storage, food order and preparation.
- Ofgem’s Priority Services Register guidance explains eligibility, available help and how to join in Great Britain.
- Ofgem’s compensation guidance explains the current duration thresholds, severe-weather categories and payment process.
- GOV.UK Prepare water-outage guidance covers stored quantities, priority uses and additional allowances if pumping or treatment is disrupted.
- GOV.UK Prepare phone and broadband outage guidance covers offline contacts, radio, Wi-Fi Calling, mobile 999 roaming and vulnerable-person checks.
- Norfolk Resilience Forum power-cut guidance includes concise UK safety advice for alternative heating, candles and generators.
