This power cut supplies checklist helps a UK household assemble a practical kit without treating every possible item as necessary. Mark each line ready, action or not applicable, then record any gap in the planner. Start with lighting, communication, water, food, warmth and health needs before considering larger backup equipment.
Keep the kit dry, accessible and somewhere everyone can find without mains lighting. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 or 112. Follow the emergency services, your electricity network operator and other official instructions during an incident.
Power cut supplies checklist: get these ready first
- ☐ Battery or wind-up torches that can light the occupied parts of the home.
- ☐ The correct spare batteries for every torch, radio and other battery-powered item.
- ☐ A charged power bank, plus tested charging leads and adapters for household phones.
- ☐ A battery or wind-up radio, with useful local and national frequencies written on paper.
- ☐ A printed contact sheet containing 999 or 112, power cut reporting numbers, household contacts and any medical or care contacts.
- ☐ Drinking water for the chosen planning period, with extra allowance for pets, infant formula and medical needs.
- ☐ Familiar, shelf-stable food that can be eaten without mains-powered cooking.
- ☐ A manual tin opener where stored food requires one.
- ☐ Necessary medicines managed through the normal repeat-prescription process and stored as directed.
- ☐ A first aid kit with usable, in-date contents.
- ☐ Warm layers, blankets or sleeping bags suitable for the season and household.
- ☐ A fridge thermometer for making safer food decisions during a longer outage.
- ☐ Hygiene supplies that remain usable if the water supply is also disrupted.
- ☐ A written and tested plan for any powered medical, mobility, communication, security, access or telecare equipment.
- ☐ Baby, disability, caring, dietary, pet or assistance-animal supplies specific to the household.
Set your household target
Plan for the people, animals and systems that actually depend on the kit. Government guidance suggests considering supplies for an emergency lasting a few days, but it does not prescribe one kit size for every home.
| Need | Household target | Gap or action |
|---|---|---|
| People | ________ people | ________________________ |
| Planning period | ________ days | ________________________ |
| Drinking water | ________ litres | ________________________ |
| No-cook food | Meals and snacks for ________ days | ________________________ |
| Safe lighting | ________ torches or lights | ________________________ |
| Phone charging | ________ phones for ________ days | ________________________ |
| Information | Radio and paper contacts | ________________________ |
| Warmth | Layers and bedding for ________ people | ________________________ |
| Medicines | Normal supply covers ________ days | ________________________ |
| Powered health or care equipment | Approved backup lasts ________ hours | ________________________ |
| Baby, child or caring needs | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| Pets or assistance animals | ________________________ | ________________________ |
For water, the Cabinet Office Prepare guidance says there is no single standard amount because emergencies and household needs vary. It cites 2.5 to 3 litres per person per day as a survival drinking-water minimum and 10 litres per person per day as a more comfortable allowance that includes basic cooking and hygiene. Use the UK Prepared emergency water guide to choose a realistic household target and add separate allowances for animals or specialist needs.
Lighting, information and phone charging
- ☐ Keep at least one torch where it can be reached safely from a bed or usual sitting area.
- ☐ Provide enough portable light for stairs, toilets and the room the household expects to occupy.
- ☐ Test every torch and radio with the batteries that will actually be stored with it.
- ☐ Label loose rechargeable batteries and keep charged sets separate from depleted sets.
- ☐ Keep spare batteries in their packaging or another suitable holder, away from heat, water and metal objects that could bridge the terminals.
- ☐ Tune the radio and write useful frequencies on the printed plan before an outage.
- ☐ Charge power banks and check that each intended phone or USB device accepts the available cable and output.
- ☐ Include a spare charging lead if the household relies on one cable for several devices.
- ☐ Save a paper copy of contacts, provider details, medicine information and simple equipment instructions.
- ☐ Add a pen, pencil and small notebook for recording restoration estimates, calls or medical information.
The UK Government power cut guidance recommends a battery or wind-up torch and radio, spare batteries, a power bank and paper contact information. It also says torches are safer than candles and that using a phone as the main torch drains the battery more quickly.
Water and no-cook food
- ☐ Store enough potable water for the household target recorded above.
- ☐ Add water needed for pets, assistance animals, infant formula or medical equipment.
- ☐ Choose container sizes that household members can lift, move and pour safely.
- ☐ Keep familiar food that does not require refrigeration, heating or large amounts of preparation water.
- ☐ Build complete meals rather than collecting unrelated tins, bars or snacks.
- ☐ Check allergies, prescribed diets, swallowing needs, pack sizes and opening methods.
- ☐ Keep a manual opener beside tins without ring pulls and test that the intended user can operate it.
- ☐ Choose smaller packs where leftovers could not be refrigerated after opening.
- ☐ Include ready-to-feed infant formula where needed because boiling water or sterilising equipment may be unavailable.
- ☐ Store the normal food and any medicine needed by pets or assistance animals.
- ☐ Keep a fridge thermometer where it can be read quickly without leaving the door open.
- ☐ Record best-before and use-by dates and rotate suitable stock into normal meals.
A specialist emergency-food purchase is not required. Ordinary shelf-stable foods that the household already eats are easier to rotate and less likely to be wasted. The UK Prepared emergency food storage guide includes a practical meal-planning method and advice for babies, allergies, medical diets and pets.
Warmth, health, care and hygiene
- ☐ Dry base layers, jumpers, coats, hats, gloves and warm socks in suitable household sizes.
- ☐ Blankets, duvets or sleeping bags for each person who may need them.
- ☐ A simple room thermometer if cold or heat could create a health risk for someone at home.
- ☐ Necessary medicines stored in accordance with their labels and normal clinical advice.
- ☐ A paper list of regular medicines, doses, allergies and relevant care contacts.
- ☐ Paper instructions for any medical, mobility or communication equipment.
- ☐ Compatible backup batteries kept charged and tested according to the provider or manufacturer instructions.
- ☐ Spare glasses, hearing-aid batteries and everyday mobility or communication aids where applicable.
- ☐ First aid items appropriate to the household, with damaged or expired contents replaced.
- ☐ Hand sanitiser, wet wipes, toilet paper, rubbish bags and basic personal-hygiene supplies.
- ☐ Nappies, period products, incontinence products or other household-specific supplies.
- ☐ A trusted-person arrangement for anyone who may need help if lifts, powered doors, heating, communications or care visits are disrupted.
Do not calculate medical backup from a generic appliance figure. Agree the acceptable power source, expected runtime, alarms and action point with the clinical team, care provider, equipment supplier or manufacturer. Ofgem’s power cut plan also recommends checking whether medical equipment has a backup battery and how long it lasts.
Eligible households in Great Britain can ask both their energy supplier and network operator about the Priority Services Register. Northern Ireland utilities use Customer Care Registers. Registration may provide extra help, but it does not guarantee uninterrupted power and does not replace a health or care contingency plan.
Equipment that needs a separate plan
| Equipment | When it may help | What to verify first |
|---|---|---|
| USB power bank | Phones and small USB devices | Compatible ports, cables, usable charge and safe condition |
| Portable power station or UPS | Selected lights, communications or compatible appliances | Usable capacity, continuous output, starting demand, connections and runtime |
| Home battery or solar backup | Circuits included in a professionally designed backup arrangement | Which circuits work in an outage, isolation method, operating instructions and test record |
| Portable generator | Larger or longer-duration loads where safe outdoor operation is possible | Outdoor position, carbon monoxide risk, electrical loading, fuel storage, leads and connection method |
| Fuel-burning cooker or heater | Only where the appliance is approved for the intended location and use | Manufacturer instructions, ventilation, fuel, fire precautions and carbon monoxide protection |
Do not buy larger backup equipment until the household has listed the devices that genuinely matter, their power in watts and the hours they must run. The UK Prepared home backup-power guide explains capacity, output, connections and testing in more detail.
Power cut kit safety checks
- ☐ Use torches as the primary emergency lighting rather than candles.
- ☐ Do not use a swollen, cracked, leaking, unusually hot or otherwise damaged power bank or battery.
- ☐ Charge power banks uncovered in a ventilated place, while present and awake, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
- ☐ Keep batteries and charging equipment dry and away from heat sources.
- ☐ Never use a barbecue or camping stove indoors.
- ☐ Never run a petrol or diesel generator in a home, garage, shed, conservatory or other enclosed or partly enclosed space.
- ☐ Do not connect a generator or portable battery to household wiring unless a competent professional has installed an approved arrangement.
- ☐ Use fuel-burning equipment only where its manufacturer permits and follow the fuel, ventilation and operating instructions.
- ☐ Do not change medicine doses, storage conditions or ordering arrangements merely to create an emergency supply.
- ☐ Store the kit without blocking doors, stairs, communal routes or access to utility controls.
Electrical Safety First’s power bank guidance covers charging, heat, damage, safe storage and recycling. The UK Chief Medical Officers warn that camping stoves, barbecues and fuel-driven generators must not be used indoors because carbon monoxide can kill.
Kit location and maintenance record
| Kit group | Storage location | Last checked | Action needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Torches, radio and batteries | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
| Power banks and cables | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
| Water | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
| Food and opener | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
| Warm clothing and bedding | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
| First aid, medicines and care items | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
| Baby or pet supplies | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
| Printed plans and contacts | ________________ | ____________ | ________________ |
- ☐ After every use: recharge equipment, replace consumed items and record any failure.
- ☐ Every six months: UK Prepared recommends testing torches and radios, checking batteries and cables, recharging power banks, reviewing dates and confirming storage locations.
- ☐ Before winter or severe-weather periods: check warm clothing, bedding, safe lighting and the plan for anyone at greater risk from cold.
- ☐ After a move or household change: update quantities, access arrangements, equipment needs, contacts and support registrations.
- ☐ After changing energy supplier: renew Priority Services Register registration where applicable.
- ☐ After a real power cut: note what ran out, what failed and what was not actually useful.
When the electricity goes off
- Report or check the outage through the network operator. Call 105 free in England, Scotland or Wales, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland.
- Turn off irons, ovens, electric fires, fryers and other equipment that could become hazardous when power returns. Unplug televisions and computers.
- Use stored lighting and conserve phone and backup-battery power for useful communication and necessary equipment.
- Keep fridge and freezer doors closed. Use the thermometer and current food-safety guidance during a longer outage.
- Follow official updates and the household plan. If loss of power creates an immediate risk to life or health, call 999 or 112.
The UK Prepared power cut guide provides a fuller action sequence, including reporting, appliance safety, food, communications, warmth and what to do when electricity returns.
Power cut resources and official guidance
- GOV.UK Prepare household guidance covers emergency kits, water, food, medicines, contacts, home planning and support needs.
- GOV.UK Prepare power cut guidance explains lighting, communications, food, water, medical planning, reporting numbers and outage actions.
- Ofgem’s power cut plan explains network operators, medical-equipment backup, extra support and possible compensation.
- Ofgem’s Priority Services Register guidance sets out eligibility, available help and how to register in Great Britain.
- Food Standards Agency power cut advice covers fridge and freezer temperatures and safer food handling in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Food Standards Scotland power cut advice provides the corresponding food-safety guidance for Scotland.
- Electrical Safety First power bank guidance explains safer charging, inspection, handling and disposal.
- UK Chief Medical Officers’ extreme-weather power-outage advice covers safe warmth, carbon monoxide hazards and generator positioning.
