Q: I'm worried about losing power due to stormy weather. I keep imagining being stuck in the cold, struggling to feed the kids, with no way of contacting people. What should I do if this happens, and is there anything I can do to prepare?
A: Power cuts can be unexpected and worrying, especially if
your power doesn’t come back on quickly. So it’s good to know who to report an
outage to and what you can do to prepare.
If you lose electricity due to stormy weather, or another
unexpected cause, your electricity network operator is responsible for
fixing it. They provide the wires to your home, and they’re different from your
electricity supplier, which is the company that sends your bills. To report an
outage, call 105 - a free line that puts you through to your electricity
network operator.
In most cases, it’s your electricity that will go off in a
storm, but it can seem like your gas is disrupted because you usually need
electricity to start up a gas boiler. Gas pipes tend to be underground, safe
from storm damage, unlike pylons and overhead cables. That said, if you smell
gas or your carbon monoxide detector is beeping, turn off the boiler, go
outside, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
If you’re on a heat network, also known as district heating, your supplier should contact you or your landlord about an outage. Citizens Advice can provide specialist heat network advice if you’re without power and haven’t heard from anyone.
You might be entitled to compensation if a power cut isn’t fixed within 24
hours, so check the charity’s website to see how much you could get. It’s also
worth noting that some power cuts are planned, and you should be told in
advance if there’s going to be one in your area.
After an unexpected outage, your power might not come back
on straight away. So, here’s a checklist of things you can do to prepare for
the worst:
- Check
you’ll be able to keep warm. There’s a high chance you won’t have any
central heating without power, so make sure you have access to blankets
and extra layers. If you’d feel safer, you might want to plan to stay with
friends or family, or check if your local council has any public places
you could use to stay warm.
- Check
you’ll have a way to contact people. It’s important to stay in touch
with people during a power cut, if you can. Charge all devices like mobile
phones and tablets using battery power banks, and if you don’t have
anything like this, write down important phone numbers and keep them safe
- an analogue phone line might still work during a power cut.
- Have
food at home which you can easily eat. Ideally, stock food with a long
use-by date, like tinned fish, beans and soups. If you’re not able to boil
water to make baby formula, you should use pre-mixed formula.
- Check
if you can sign up to the Priority Services Register (PSR). This can
give you extra support during a power cut, like regular updates and a
special number to ring if you need extra support. You might be able to
sign up if you’re disabled, pregnant or have young children. See the full
list of eligibility criteria and how to sign up on the PSR website.
* For more information and advice about power cuts, visit the Citizens Advice website.
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