What To Do In A Power Cut

Nobody enjoys a power cut, especially in the middle of the night, or in stormy weather when they’re most common. Preparing for a power outage so you’re not left in the dark can help, along with knowing how to identify the most common problems.

We’ve put together a handy guide on what to do in the event of a power cut to help.

You have no electricity

Have your appliances stopped working? Lights gone out? Check outside to see if there are any streetlights on or whether your neighbours still have lights. If you can see lights elsewhere, it’s likely that the problem is in your home rather than being a real power cut.

If you’re on a pre-payment meter, check you haven’t run out of credit; if your meter display shows the word ‘debt’ it means you’ve run out and need to top up your balance.

Tripped switches

The problem may be that you’ve tripped a switch in your fuse box. Check this first, to see if it’ll be an easy fix.

All you need to do is lift the cover – you’ll know if any of them have tripped as they’ll be in the down position. To reset them, you need to flick them into the up position.

If the switches trip again immediately, or you’re experiencing frequent power cuts, it’s likely you have a faulty appliance or a problem with your wiring.

To spot a faulty appliance, plug each device in one-by-one to work out which is causing the problem. You’ll need to get a qualified engineer to repair the appliance for you.

If a fuse has blown, you can repair this or, if you’re not comfortable with the work, call a qualified electrician.

Power cut

If you haven’t tripped a fuse and it looks like your neighbours’ lights are out too, it’s likely that you’re experiencing a power cut.

You can take the following steps:

• Switch off any appliances that shouldn’t be left unattended when the power comes back on

• Leave a light turned on at the wall so you can tell when the power has come back on

• Wrap up warm – especially in winter when your home would usually be heated

• Report the power cut to your network distributer

TIP: to report a power cut, you’ll need to find the power outage phone number for your network distributer. Search your postcode on the Energy Networks website. Alternatively, call ‘105’ from your mobile or landline and it’ll automatically connect you to your network’s emergency number.

Preparation

In order to get through a power cut smoothly, you could make a power cut survival kit. Here are a few items you could include:

• Battery-operated torch

• Battery pack for your mobile phone

• Blankets for keeping warm

• Food and drink that can be prepared with no electricity

Taking out Complete Home Emergency Cover with Home Emergency Assist can also provide you with Internal Electricity Cover. We’ll help in the event of an electrical failure of at least one complete circuit. If you upgrade to Premium, we’ll also repair or replace any item (excluding items with plugs) or system after your supply meter which causes breakdown or failure of your electrical wiring system.

You can also take out Appliance Cover which covers up to ten of your most important kitchen appliances against mechanical or electrical breakdown.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plan, plumbing and drainage insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as boiler and central heating insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301 or get a quote online.