To keep your home warm during a power cut, first preserve the heat already inside. Close curtains and internal doors, stop safe-to-block draughts, gather people in one suitable room and use dry layered clothing, blankets or sleeping bags. Concentrate on keeping people warm rather than trying to heat the whole property.
Do not improvise with barbecues, camping stoves, outdoor heaters, generators or a gas cooker. These can cause fire or carbon monoxide poisoning indoors. If the outage is likely to continue and a baby, older person or someone with a health condition cannot be kept comfortably warm, arrange a move to a safely heated place before the situation becomes urgent.
What to do as soon as the power goes off
- Check whether it is a local power cut. Look safely for street lighting or ask a neighbour. If only your home is affected, check the consumer unit without removing covers or touching damaged equipment.
- Report the outage and find the estimated restoration time. The GOV.UK Prepare power-cut guidance says to use the network operator’s website or call 105 free in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, call 03457 643643.
- Turn off high-risk appliances. Switch off electric fires, ovens, hobs, irons and fryers so they do not restart unattended. Leave one light switched on as an indication that the supply has returned.
- Trap the remaining heat. Close windows, curtains, blinds and doors to rooms that are not being used. Place ordinary draught excluders or rolled towels at safe gaps beneath doors.
- Create one warm living area. Choose a room that is easy for everyone to reach, retains heat reasonably well and has a clear escape route. Bring in warm clothing, bedding, torches, medicines, drinks and communication equipment.
- Check everyone early. Pay particular attention to babies, young children, older adults and people with long-term health conditions, limited mobility or reduced ability to recognise that they are becoming cold.
If sunlight is reaching a window, opening that curtain can provide some free solar warmth. Close it again before the sun moves away or darkness falls. Avoid repeatedly opening external doors, but do not obstruct an exit or compromise ventilation needed by a fuel-burning appliance.
Why heating often stops even when you have gas
Having a gas or oil supply does not normally keep central heating running during an electricity outage. Modern boilers require electrical controls, ignition, pumps or fans. Heat pumps and direct electric heating also stop, while communal or district-heating systems depend on the design and any backup installed by the operator.
| Heating system | Likely position during a power cut | Useful preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Gas or oil boiler | Usually stops because controls, pumps or fans need electricity | Confirm what the manufacturer specifies and do not attempt an improvised electrical connection |
| Heat pump or direct electric heating | Stops when mains power is lost | Prioritise passive heat retention and a safe relocation plan |
| Storage heater | May continue releasing previously stored heat, although fans or controls may not operate | Learn how the particular model behaves without power |
| Wood burner or open fire | May work independently if correctly installed and maintained | Keep the approved fuel, ventilation, alarms and fireguard arrangements ready |
| Communal heating or heat network | Depends on pumps, controls and backup at building or network level | Ask the landlord, managing agent or heat supplier for its outage plan |
Do not connect a boiler, household circuit or socket system to a generator or portable battery through a homemade lead. Any fixed backup arrangement needs to be compatible with the appliance and designed with the correct isolation and changeover protection by a competent professional.
Keep heat inside one part of the home
A whole house contains far more air and building fabric than one occupied room. Reducing the heated or occupied area slows the rate at which the household feels the effect of the outage.
- Close internal doors. Keep bedrooms or other rooms closed until they are needed. If everyone can do so safely, use one living area rather than spreading across the property.
- Close curtains and blinds. Make sure fabric does not cover an active heater, open fire or hot surface. Temporary window coverings must not block an exit.
- Stop unwanted draughts. Use removable draught excluders at leaky doors and windows, particularly in a rented home where permanent changes may not be possible.
- Insulate from a cold floor. Rugs can make a hard floor more comfortable. Secure loose edges and keep walking routes clear to reduce falls in poor light.
- Move away from cold surfaces. Position seating and bedding away from external doors, single-glazed windows and uninsulated outside walls where practical.
- Use a room thermometer. A battery-powered thermometer helps show how quickly conditions are changing, but people’s health and symptoms matter more than one reading.
Draught proofing must not become uncontrolled sealing. Energy Saving Trust guidance says not to block vents, chimneys or airflow needed for safety and air quality. Fixed ventilation is particularly important around open-flue or flueless fuel-burning appliances.
Keep people warm rather than heating empty space
- Wear several dry layers. A base layer, warm middle layer and outer layer trap air more effectively than one garment. Add warm socks, slippers, gloves and suitable head covering while awake.
- Use blankets and sleeping bags. Place insulating layers around the person without covering the face, restricting breathing or creating a trip hazard.
- Change wet clothing immediately. Damp clothes remove heat quickly and should not be left on while someone is trying to warm up.
- Stay gently active if able. Periodic walking or light movement can help, but strenuous exercise may be unsuitable for someone who is frail or has a heart or breathing condition.
- Eat regularly. Familiar ready-to-eat food provides energy. A warm non-alcoholic drink can help with comfort if there is a safe means of heating water.
- Stay together. Keeping household members in the same occupied room makes it easier to share supplies and notice if someone becomes unusually quiet, tired or confused.
A sound hot water bottle can provide local warmth if hot water remains available. Follow its instructions, use a cover and never fill it with boiling water. Do not place a hot water bottle in a baby’s cot, and do not use one with an electric blanket after power returns.
Which alternative heaters are safe during a power cut?
The safest short-outage strategy may be to use no temporary heater at all. Layers, blankets and heat retention carry much less fire and carbon monoxide risk than an unfamiliar fuel-burning appliance.
| Option | Use during an outage? | Main conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Installed wood burner or open fire | Only if already installed, maintained and normally used | Correct fuel, clear flue, required ventilation, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fireguard and supervision |
| Indoor-rated gas or paraffin heater | Only if the manufacturer permits indoor use | Follow all ventilation, clearance, fuel, supervision and carbon monoxide alarm instructions |
| Patio heater, barbecue, camping stove or outdoor camping heater | No | Never use inside a home, garage, shed, conservatory, tent or other enclosed space |
| Gas hob, cooker or oven | No | Cooking appliances are not room heaters and create fire and carbon monoxide risks |
| Petrol or diesel generator | Never inside or in an enclosed space | Use only outdoors in accordance with its instructions and never connect it to household wiring through an improvised lead |
| Candles | Not as a heat source | They provide negligible useful heating and introduce a naked flame; use battery torches for light |
The London Fire Brigade’s heater guidance says to keep heaters well away from bedding, blankets, curtains and furniture, never use them to dry clothes and use carbon monoxide alarms in rooms containing solid-fuel, gas or paraffin heaters. Children, pets and people with limited mobility need added protection from hot surfaces, trip hazards and open flames.
Carbon monoxide cannot be seen, tasted or smelt. Fuel-burning appliances need the specified ventilation even when preserving warmth feels urgent. Never cover a vent or alter a flue to make a room feel less draughty.
Can a portable power station run an electric heater?
Small portable power stations are normally far more useful for lighting, communications and medical-equipment backup than resistance heating. A 1 kilowatt heater consumes 1 kilowatt-hour in one hour. A battery advertised as storing 1 kilowatt-hour could therefore supply that heater for less than one hour in real use after conversion losses and any protected reserve, assuming its inverter can support the load.
Check the continuous output, surge limit, usable capacity and manufacturer instructions before connecting any appliance. Do not use a heater through an undersized extension lead, leave it unattended or place it near bedding. A larger home battery may support heating equipment if the system was designed to do so, but this must be confirmed before an outage rather than improvised during one.
Protect babies and people more vulnerable to cold
Cold affects households differently. GOV.UK Prepare identifies older adults, babies, young children and people with long-term health problems as more likely to become ill when they get too cold. Reduced mobility, pregnancy, prescribed temperature-sensitive care and an inability to communicate discomfort can add to the risk.
- Babies: continue to follow safer-sleep guidance. The NHS baby temperature guidance uses a room range of 16°C to 20°C and lightweight bedding or a correctly fitted sleep bag. Remove hats indoors, avoid thick or loose bedding and never put a hot water bottle, electric blanket or heater in the baby’s sleep space.
- Older adults and people with health conditions: use the warmest safe room, monitor changes in speech, breathing, alertness and coordination, and keep medicines and mobility aids accessible.
- People using powered medical equipment: follow the backup plan agreed with the care team and equipment supplier. A network Priority Services Register cannot replace a clinical backup plan.
- People living alone: arrange check-ins that do not depend entirely on broadband or a cordless landline. Keep a written contact list and a charged mobile or power bank.
- Pets: keep animals indoors where appropriate, provide dry bedding and follow veterinary or equipment-provider advice for reptiles, fish and other animals needing powered heat or filtration.
NHS advice recommends at least 18°C in rooms regularly used when this is achievable, particularly for someone with a health condition. During an outage, 18°C is a normal health-oriented heating target, not a universal evacuation threshold. Consider the outdoor temperature, restoration estimate, rate of cooling, night-time forecast and each person’s health rather than waiting for one fixed number.
Know when to move somewhere warmer
Move early if the home is steadily cooling, the outage is expected to continue through a cold night or someone cannot be kept safely comfortable. Possible destinations include family or friends, accommodation arranged by the network operator, or a local authority welfare centre if one has been announced. Check official outage and council updates rather than travelling unnecessarily in dangerous weather.
The NHS hypothermia guidance lists shivering, pale cold skin, slurred speech, slow breathing, tiredness and confusion among the warning signs. A baby may feel cold, become floppy, unusually quiet or sleepy, or refuse to feed. Hypothermia is a medical emergency: call 999 or go to A&E if you think an adult or child has it.
While waiting for help, move the person somewhere sheltered, remove wet clothing, wrap them in dry blankets or towels and cover their head. If they are fully awake, the NHS advises a warm non-alcoholic drink and sugary food. Do not use a hot bath, heat lamp or hot water bottle to reheat someone with suspected hypothermia, do not rub their limbs and do not give alcohol.
Act immediately if carbon monoxide may be present
Headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, tiredness, confusion, chest pain or breathlessness during use of a fuel-burning appliance may indicate carbon monoxide exposure. If an alarm sounds or exposure is suspected, stop using the appliance if this can be done safely, get everyone into fresh air and seek medical advice. The NHS carbon monoxide guidance says to call 111 for suspected symptoms and 999 for severe breathing difficulty, sudden confusion, loss of consciousness, marked weakness, or chest or muscle pain. Do not re-enter until professional advice says it is safe.
Prepare the home before a winter outage
- Keep blankets, sleeping bags, warm socks, hats, gloves and spare dry clothing together in an accessible place.
- Fit suitable draught proofing and lined curtains, but never block fixed vents, flues, chimneys or required airflow.
- Keep battery torches, spare batteries, a battery radio, power banks and a room thermometer ready.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms according to their instructions and replace expired alarms or batteries.
- Maintain fixed boilers, fires, stoves, chimneys and flues through the appropriate competent professionals.
- Ask how the heating, communal system, stairlift and any medical equipment behave without mains power.
- Write down the network operator’s contact details, outage-reporting numbers and a safe place the household could move to.
- If severe weather and an outage are forecast, charge essential batteries and heat normally occupied rooms to a comfortable temperature while power remains available. Do not overheat the property.
Ofgem’s power-cut planning advice recommends telling the network operator and energy supplier if someone needs extra help, joining the Priority Services Register and checking the backup battery for medical equipment. The register can improve communication and support, but households relying on electricity for health needs still require an equipment-specific backup plan.
Power-cut warmth checklist
- Report the outage and check the restoration estimate.
- Turn off heaters, cookers and other appliances that could restart dangerously.
- Close curtains, safe draughts and doors to unused rooms.
- Gather in one suitable room without blocking ventilation or escape routes.
- Use dry layers, blankets, sleeping bags and gentle activity.
- Monitor babies, older people and anyone with a health condition.
- Never use outdoor cooking or heating equipment indoors.
- Keep fuel-burning appliances ventilated and use working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
- Move to a safely heated place before conditions become dangerous.
- Call 999 if hypothermia or severe carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected.
Power-cut heating and cold-weather resources
- GOV.UK Prepare power-cut guidance explains reporting, appliance precautions, warm clothing, household communication and support for vulnerable neighbours.
- Ofgem’s power-cut planning guide covers network operators, medical-equipment backup and the Priority Services Register.
- NHS winter health advice explains the 18°C health-oriented room target, higher-risk groups and when to seek medical help.
- NHS hypothermia guidance lists symptoms, emergency action and safe first-aid steps while waiting for help.
- NHS carbon monoxide guidance explains symptoms, emergency actions, appliance risks and safer prevention.
- London Fire Brigade heater and fire guidance provides practical clearance, maintenance, fuel, fireguard and alarm advice.
- Energy Saving Trust draught-proofing guidance distinguishes unwanted draughts from ventilation that must remain open.
- NHS baby temperature guidance covers the 16°C to 20°C sleep range, suitable bedding and heat sources that must not be used in a baby’s sleep space.
