Storms and natural disasters can cause major damage to the electricity network.
If your power supply is disrupted, we’ll act quickly and do everything we can to restore it safely, and as quickly as possible. However, occasionally there will be significant damage to power poles, wires and other electrical equipment, and power can be out to some areas for hours or - in worst case scenarios - days.
So we ask everyone to be prepared for unplanned power outages. Here are some of the things you can do to make sure you stay safe.
Be prepared
Keep our faults line number handy: Call 0800 206 207 to report a fault or emergency, call this number any time, day or night. It's quite common for power cuts to last only a few minutes, so you may want to wait a while before making the call.
Put together an emergency kit of essentials, including torches, a transistor radio and batteries.
Charge your phone, along with anything else you may need. A mobile power pack is always useful.
Think about food supplies: have some snacks and meals that don’t need cooking, and check that you have a full gas bottle for the BBQ.
If you or a family member is medically dependent on a continuous supply of electricity, we strongly advise that you have an emergency response plan. This could include a reliable back-up power source, or another address you can move to.
If you run a business, think about whether, and how, you can operate if the power is off.
During a power outage
Follow us on Facebook. We regularly post updates on our crews’ progress during major outages.
Switch appliances off at the wall, just in case there’s a power surge when the electricity comes back on. Make sure all cooking and heating appliances are off.
Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
Leave one light switched on, so you’ll know the moment the power comes back on.
Keep well clear of fallen power lines and damaged electrical equipment, and treat them as live at all times.
Watch out for falling tree branches that can cause damage to power lines.
