Electricity Power Cut
Check to see if other people in your street are affected. If you are the only one without electricity, check to see if all your electricity is off. If you have only lost part of your electricity supply, there is probably something wrong with your wiring. If all your electricity is off, it could be a fault on your electricity supplier’s system or in your wiring.
Check your fuses
Do you need to put a token in your electricity meter or recharge your power card, if you pay for your electricity this way?
If you have one, has your trip switch moved to the ‘off’ position? (It is usually found by the fuse box)
If your fuses are working and the trip switch is in the ‘on’ position, contact your electricity supplier. If you phone outside normal working hours, you may hear a recorded message telling you about the faults on the network and the areas they affect. If your area is not mentioned, or you have information about the fault, wait until after the message and you should be able to speak to an operator.
Computers, faxes, office equipment
Power problems can affect the operation of office equipment, whether it is a supply interruption (voltage dip) or complete loss of supply. Customers who rely on this equipment should consider using an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). UPSs are special devices which operate between equipment and the power supply. This allows the UPS to act as a filter to smooth out voltage fluctuations and act as a back-up if power is suddenly lost, giving enough time to save important information.
Electrical equipment
If the power goes off, in the interests of safety turn off any electrical appliances, especially cookers, but leave on one or two lights to tell when the electricity comes back on.
Burglar alarms and security lights
Burglar alarms are equipped with battery back-up so they should work when the electricity is off. If security lights operate on a timer they will need to be reset.
Freezers
While electricity is off, the freezer door should be kept closed. A loss of power supply for a few hours will make very little difference to the state of food inside the freezer, especially when a large quantity of food is packed tightly together. Most modern freezers will keep food frozen for more than 18 hours if nearly full.
The freezer should be left undisturbed for at least two hours after the power has been restored, plus it is also a good idea to turn to the superfreeze setting for a few hours to boost the cold inside the cabinet.
If food has to be thrown away the replacement cost will normally be covered by household insurance, but even after considerably extended periods without electricity, all is not lost. All the food does not suddenly go bad, it will begin to thaw to normal, safe eating conditions quite slowly, allowing time to deal with it.
Unless a delay of several days is involved, most of the contents of a freezer can be salvaged, but customers should be advised that if they are in any doubt at all about an item of food, then they should discard it.
Medical equipment
For medical equipment that relies on a constant supply of electricity, it is essential that a back-up is available, for example a battery power pack. But be aware of how long it lasts - anyone relying on this should make sure that you have other plans if the electricity is going to be off for a long time.
Tropical fish
Customers worried about their tropical fish in a power failure should contact an expert or refer to a tropical fish book.
Keeping warm
- While the sun is out keep the curtains open for extra warmth. Draw them to keep warmth in when it isn’t.
- Keep all outside doors and windows closed and live in one room.
- Put on layers of clothes, and wear a hat, scarf, gloves and thick socks or boots.
- If possible, fill up a thermos flask with hot soup, stews and drinks.
- Check on the elderly as cold can be fatal.