What to do in the Event of a Power Failure

When you fall victim to a power cut, it is important to know the right steps to take. For one thing, it is important to quickly establish whether it is an ordinary, temporary power failure or an electrical fault with your home, so that you know immediately whether to call an electrician. It is also important to make sure the power failure doesn't cause you any added problems like the loss of frozen food.

Get Some Light

If the power failure happens at night, it will be harder to do anything useful in the dark. Make sure you know where you have put your torch so that whenever the power fails, you can head straight to it. At a pinch, the light from your mobile phone screen will do. Keeping candles and matches or a lighter can also be useful, as this enables you to set up lighting in rooms without the need for electricity. But of course, these present a fire hazard, so unless you have finished all other checks and are able to attend them closely, stick with a torch or other battery powered light.

Check Your Neighbours

The best indication of whether it is a normal power failure or a problem in your home is to check with your neighbours. If it's a normal power cut, they should be having the same issue. If it happens at night, look for any lights in their windows. If it happens in the daytime or you can't see lights and want to double check, then just knock on their doors and ask them.

Check Your Fuse Box

If your neighbours do not have the same problem, then the next step is to check the fuse box. Check whether any fuses have blown or trip switches blown out. If you can, fix it and see if the power comes on. But electricity can be very dangerous, so if you have any doubts at all then do not touch it. If you can't find a problem or you aren't comfortable repairing it yourself, then call an electrician. The problem with this is that modern cordless home phones need electricity, in order to broadcast the signal from the base to the handset. One solution is simply to use your mobile, or another is to keep an old-fashioned corded phone in the house. These don't need electricity, and will work reliably even in a power failure.

Check Your Fridge and Freezer

A normal neighbourhood power failure will usually not last long enough to spoil food in your fridge and freezer. If it is a fault in your home or the power cut is dragging on for a long time, though, you might want to take precautions. Fridges and freezers are well-insulated, so at first you should simply avoid opening them. This will keep them cool for at least a few hours. After that, if it is winter your food will often keep better outside in the cold than indoors. This is especially true if there is frost or even snow on the ground. Alternatively, wrap it up in towels, blankets, or anything like that you can find. This will insulate it, and keep it cold for longer, reducing the risk of spoiling or defrosting.

Written by VHL in London