Storm Arwen, November 2021. One point one million UK homes lost power. Some waited 10 days for it to come back. If you were not ready, those were a very long 10 days.
Power cuts are the most common household emergency in the UK — and most families are completely unprepared for anything beyond a few hours. This guide gives you the practical steps to keep your household safe, warm, and functional for the full 72 hours that a serious outage can last.
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What to Do in the First 30 Minutes
The first half hour sets you up. Do not waste it scrolling your phone trying to find updates. Do these five things immediately.
- Do not open the fridge or freezer. A full freezer stays safe for 48 hours if the door stays shut. A fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours. Every time you open the door, you shorten that window.
- Charge your phone to 100% right now. If you have a power bank, plug in. Your phone is your emergency tool, your torch, your radio — do not let it die.
- Check if it is just your house. Look outside. Are your neighbours dark? Check your fuse box inside. If it is just you, your main circuit breaker may have tripped. If the whole street is out, it is a grid fault.
- Report it to your electricity distributor. In the UK, call 105 (free, from any phone) to report a power cut and get estimated restoration times. This is different from your energy supplier — 105 connects you to the network operator who actually fixes faults.
- Get a light source into every occupied room. Torch, candle, or lantern. Stumbling around in the dark causes injuries. Sorted immediately.
Hours 1 to 12: Managing the Household
Once the immediate steps are done, the goal shifts to managing warmth, light, and information.
Keeping Warm
In the UK, the bigger risk in a power cut is cold, not heat. Central heating requires electricity to run the pump and controls, even if it burns gas. When the power goes, so does the heating.
- Move everyone into one room. Body heat counts. Close off unused rooms.
- Close all curtains and blinds. They act as insulation.
- Layer up now, before you feel cold. Once you lose body heat, it costs energy to recover it.
- Thermal blankets are worth their weight. A proper emergency foil blanket retains 90% of body heat.
Keeping Informed
When the internet goes down — and it often does during extended outages as routers lose power — your only reliable information source is the radio. A battery-powered FM radio tuned to BBC Radio 4 (93.5 FM London, or your local BBC station) gives you official updates, estimated restoration times, and emergency service announcements.
Do not rely on social media for accurate information during an active emergency. The BBC is your most reliable source.
Cooking Without Power
If you have a gas hob, you can still cook — use matches or a lighter. Electric only? Prioritise foods that need no cooking. Most emergency preparedness guides recommend keeping a supply of foods that can be eaten cold or with minimal preparation.
The Critical 24 to 72 Hours
Most power cuts in the UK are resolved within a few hours. But the serious ones — storm damage, infrastructure failures, major grid events — can last days. Here is what changes after 24 hours.
Food Management
After 24 hours, the freezer is still safe if you have kept it closed. But start planning. Eat fresh and refrigerated items first. Frozen food next, as it starts to thaw. Tinned and shelf-stable food last. If you have medication that requires refrigeration, this is where a kit with coolbox ice packs matters significantly — insulin and some other medications lose effectiveness above certain temperatures.
Temperature Risk
If indoor temperatures drop below 5°C — possible in a UK winter during a multi-day outage — hypothermia risk becomes real, especially for elderly family members or young children. Local councils activate warming centres during extended cold-weather outages. These are usually announced on local radio and the council website.
Know where your nearest warming centre is before you need it.
Checking on Neighbours
Once you have your own household sorted, check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours. A knock on the door takes 30 seconds and could matter enormously. Leave your radio channel or mobile number with them if their phone is running low.
When Power Returns
Do not turn everything on at once. Start with your heating. Then gradually restore appliances one at a time. A simultaneous surge from an entire neighbourhood reconnecting can cause another trip. Check the fridge and freezer — if food has fully thawed and been above 4°C for more than 2 hours, it needs to go.
Build Your 72-Hour Power Cut Kit
Reading a guide is a start. Having the right equipment before it happens is what actually keeps your family safe.
Our 72-Hour Power Outage Kit includes everything in this guide: LED lantern, power bank, hand-crank phone charger, battery radio, emergency candles, waterproof matches, thermal blankets, coolbox ice packs, head torch, and a laminated action card with the key steps printed and waterproofed. Everything in one bag, ready to go.
The goal is never to scramble. The goal is to open a bag and know you are sorted.