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A winter outage can affect lighting, heating controls, cooking, phone charging and powered medical equipment at the same time. A short written plan helps everyone know where to look and who to contact. This is an action checklist, not a list of products to buy. Start with the things you already use and the people who may need help.

Before winter: make the plan usable

  1. Write down the important contacts. Save your electricity network operator’s outage number and keep a paper copy with household contacts. In Great Britain, call 105 to report a power cut or reach the local distribution network operator. Northern Ireland has a separate arrangement through NIE Networks Powercheck. Do not assume your energy supplier operates the local wires.
  2. Agree how you will get updates. Bookmark the operator’s power-cut map, decide who can check it and keep one phone available for calls. You can also read National Grid’s power-cut information. Keep the power cut quiz handy to review communication and lighting arrangements.
  3. Check who relies on electricity. Write down the equipment, supplier number and clinician or care-team contact for anyone who depends on powered medical equipment. Agree the response with the supplier and clinical team before an outage. Read the medical equipment power-cut guide and contact the network operator about the Priority Services Register. Do not rely on a battery or power station until the equipment provider confirms what is suitable.
  4. Plan warmth and somewhere to go. Choose the room you would use first and identify a relative, friend or local service you could contact if the home became too cold. Consider stairs, pets, transport, medicines and medical devices. The guide to keeping warm during a heating or power failure covers safe options and when to leave.
  5. Check household supplies and instructions. Put torches where people can reach them, check their batteries and keep a phone power bank charged if you use one. Keep a manual can opener with food that needs it. Read appliance manuals and note how to shut off water if a pipe leaks. Use the household kit builder to keep the wider household list together. You do not need a new appliance to make a plan.
  6. Set one review reminder. Check contact numbers, medical arrangements and warm clothing before the coldest part of the year. Replace supplies that have been used and tell everyone where the plan is kept. GOV.UK’s advice on preparing for emergencies is a useful starting point, with local guidance from your council and network operator.

When the power goes: check safety first

  1. Check whether only your home is affected. If safe, look at the meter or consumer unit using a torch and follow the household instructions. Do not touch damaged wiring, open equipment or investigate outside during dangerous weather.
  2. Use a torch instead of candles. Switch off appliances that were running, especially heaters and cooking equipment, and leave one light switched on so you notice when supply returns. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. The food safety guide explains what to check before using stored food.
  3. Report the outage through 105 in Great Britain or the relevant Northern Ireland service. Give the address, describe any visible network damage from a safe distance and ask how to receive updates. Never approach a fallen wire, pole or damaged substation. Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger.
  4. Check on anyone in the home who relies on powered care, heating or communication. Follow the plan agreed with the equipment supplier and clinical team. If a person becomes seriously unwell, use 999; contact NHS 111 for urgent health advice when it is not an emergency.

Keep a notebook or paper copy of the operator’s update if phone access is limited. A portable radio can help if mobile service is unavailable, but follow the network operator and emergency services for local instructions. Do not share unverified restoration times as confirmed information.

Decide in advance who will check on a neighbour who may not hear an alert or be able to use a phone. Agree a simple check-in, and do not enter a property if you have reason to think it is unsafe. If a neighbour needs urgent medical help, call 999. If they need practical support but there is no immediate danger, help them contact their family, care team, council or network operator. A clear plan also makes it easier to ask for help yourself.

Overnight: keep people warm and routes clear

Choose one comfortable room if it suits everyone. Gather dry layers, blankets, medicines and essential phone numbers there. Close doors to unused rooms, draw curtains after dark and keep the route to the toilet and exit clear. Do not block vents or air bricks. If you can boil water safely before an outage, keeping a hot drink in a flask can help later. Follow the flask maker’s instructions and keep hot contents away from children.

A gas or oil boiler may need electricity for its controls and pump, so having fuel does not guarantee that heating will work. Do not heat a room with a gas hob or oven, barbecue, camping stove, generator or any outdoor heater. These can create fire or carbon monoxide risks. The indoor fuel safety guide explains why outdoor equipment stays outside.

Use an electric blanket only as its manufacturer directs and only if its condition and the person using it make that appropriate. Keep phone use focused on essential calls and updates. If the indoor temperature is falling and someone cannot stay warm, move to the agreed warmer place rather than waiting until everyone is tired. If you suspect hypothermia, call 999.

Check that people can move safely in dim light, especially where there are steps, mobility aids or children. Leave a clear path to the front door and keep torches within reach. If you have a stair lift, powered bed or other essential equipment, follow the advice from its supplier and the person’s care team. A generic battery or portable power station is not a safe substitute for an agreed equipment plan.

When power returns: restart carefully

Wait for the operator to confirm supply is stable if its guidance asks you to do so. Check clocks and appliances, then turn equipment back on in a controlled way. If a circuit trips again, you smell burning or see damage, leave the equipment off and contact a qualified electrician or the network operator as appropriate. Do not repeatedly reset a fault.

Check the refrigerator and freezer food against current Food Standards Agency advice. Do not taste food to decide whether it is safe. Discard food where official guidance says to do so, and clean up leaks or spoiled food safely. Restock only what you used, charge devices and update the plan if a contact number, medical need or household arrangement has changed.

A battery power station may support selected equipment, but it cannot replace a heating system by assumption. Check appliance requirements and the station’s manufacturer instructions before relying on backup power. Read how portable power stations are described and the Jackery and EcoFlow comparison for general product information, without treating either as a recommendation for your appliance.

Sources

Sources checked 31 October 2026.