Getting through a three-day power cut: a UK family guide

Most UK power cuts are fixed within a few hours. But storms can leave homes without electricity for days: Storm Arwen in November 2021 cut power to around a million customers, and some waited more than a week. This guide covers the four things that matter in a longer power cut: light, warmth, food and keeping phones charged. It follows official UK advice from GOV.UK Prepare and the Food Standards Agency.

First: who to call in a power cut

Call 105. It is free, works from any landline or mobile, and puts you through to the network operator that runs the power lines in your area (in Northern Ireland, call 03457 643643). Your energy supplier, the company on your bill, cannot fix a power cut, so there is no point ringing them.

1. Check if it is just you. Look out of the window or ask a neighbour. If their lights are on, check your fuse box for a tripped switch.
2. Report it. Use your network operator's website or call 105. Do not assume someone else has already reported it.
3. Switch off appliances such as ovens, irons and heaters, so nothing is left running when the power comes back.
4. Leave one light switched on so you know when the power returns.

Write 105 down on paper now and keep it with your torch. If your phone is flat, you will not be able to look it up.

Light: torches, not candles

Official advice is clear: torches are safer than candles. Candles cause house fires during power cuts every year, and the risk rises when you are tired, cold and moving around in the dark.

• Keep a battery or wind-up torch somewhere you can find it in the dark, such as a kitchen drawer or by the front door.
• Add a head torch if you can. It leaves both hands free for cooking, nappy changes or finding the stopcock.
• A battery lantern lights a whole room, so a family can stay together in one warm space.
• Keep spare batteries that fit everything, and check them twice a year.
• Give each child their own small torch. It makes the dark far less frightening.

Warmth: keeping everyone warm without heating

Most gas central heating needs electricity for the pump and controls, so it usually stops in a power cut too. In winter, a house can get cold quickly.

• Choose one room, ideally the smallest with the fewest outside walls, and keep everyone in it. Close the doors and draw the curtains at dusk.
• Dress in layers. Several thin layers trap heat better than one thick jumper. Hats and socks make a big difference.
• Use blankets, duvets and sleeping bags, including for sitting on the sofa during the day.
• Hot water bottles are excellent if you have a gas hob that still lights, or a safe way to heat water.
• Eat and drink regularly. The body uses food to make heat.
• Check on older neighbours and anyone living alone. They feel the cold faster and may not ask for help.

Never bring a barbecue, camping stove or generator indoors

Barbecues, camping stoves, patio heaters and generators all make carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas you cannot see or smell. Fire services see a rise in carbon monoxide incidents during long power cuts, including people using barbecues indoors for warmth or hot food. Use them outdoors only, and fit a battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fuel-burning appliance. If an alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 0800 111 999. If someone feels unwell, call 999.

Cooking and food: what is safe to eat

Electric cookers and microwaves will not work. Gas hobs often still work; if yours has electric ignition, check the manufacturer's instructions before lighting it by hand. Otherwise, plan meals that need no cooking.

Your fridge and freezer

The Food Standards Agency says a power cut of less than four hours is unlikely to affect food safety. For longer cuts:

• Keep the doors shut. A closed fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours.
• A full freezer keeps food frozen for up to 48 hours; a half-full one for about 24 hours.
• Chilled food stays safe while the fridge is below 8°C. A cheap fridge thermometer tells you for certain.
• A sensible order to eat in: fresh food from the fridge first, then food from the freezer, then tins and dried food.
• Never taste food to check it. Harmful bacteria do not always change the smell or taste.

No-cook food to keep in the cupboard

Keep three days of food that needs no cooking: tinned fish and meat, tinned fruit and beans that can be eaten cold, crackers, oatcakes, nut butter, cereal bars, dried fruit and long-life milk. Remember a manual tin opener. If you have a baby, keep ready-to-feed formula, because you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles.

Keeping phones charged

Your phone is your torch, radio, news source and way to call for help, so save its battery from the first minute.

• Keep a charged power bank. A 20,000mAh power bank charges most phones four or five times. Top it up every few months.
• Turn on low-power mode, dim the screen and close apps running in the background.
• Use the phone for messages, not video. Text a family group once with an update rather than making many calls.
• A car charger works if the car is outside in the open with the engine running. Never run the engine in a garage.
• Mobile masts may go down too in a long cut. A battery or wind-up radio keeps you updated without using your phone at all.

If you have a life-threatening emergency and no signal, still try 999 or 112 from a mobile. Emergency calls will connect through any network that is working.

If someone relies on electricity for their health

If anyone in your home uses powered medical equipment, or is older, disabled or has young children, sign up to the free Priority Services Register. Network operators then know you need extra help in a power cut, and may contact you with updates or arrange support. Make a plan with your care team for backup power before you need it.

Your three-day power cut checklist

• Torch or head torch for each person, plus a lantern
• Spare batteries for everything
• Charged power bank (20,000mAh or more)
• Battery or wind-up radio
• Blankets, warm layers, hats and a hot water bottle
• Three days of food that needs no cooking, and a tin opener
• Bottled water (see our guide to storing water)
• Battery carbon monoxide alarm
• 105 and other key numbers written on paper
• Several days of any regular medication

How ready is your home?

Every household is different. A family with a baby, a dog and an older grandparent needs a very different kit from a couple in a flat. Our free family readiness check takes about three minutes. It asks about your home and the people in it, then shows your readiness score and the three gaps to fix first.

Take the free readiness check