Power cut help & advice

 

You may be concerned at this time about the food in your fridge and freezer. Food should keep for between 4-6 hours in the fridge and 15-24 hours in the freezer if you can avoid opening it.

 

• Keep our phone numbers handy, call 105 or 0800 31 63 105 (free to call from a landline or mobile phone)
• We urge customers who need extra support during a power cut to register for our Priority Services Register 
• Keep a torch with spare batteries. Take care if using candles
• Keep a phone with a cord, as cordless phones don’t work in a power cut
• Its especially important if you are unwell, less mobile or very young to keep warm. Dress warmly with layers, a hat and gloves and have blankets to hand, so you can keep warm until the power is back on. You can also reduce the heat loss by closing doors on unused rooms and closing your curtains.

We can offer extra assistance to those who need it. Please call us on 0800 31 63 105 or 105 and we can help.

Our electricity network is designed in such a way that properties in the same street are often supplied by different electricity cables. This means that the electricity line that supplies your property could be faulty, but the line that supplies your neighbours property is fine.

We can restore some power supplies on our high voltage network by remote control from our office, but many other sites need to be individually visited and assessed by our engineers before replacement equipment can be ordered and repair work can then start.

Using a generator isn't always the simplest solution. We need the same qualified engineers to install a generator as we do to fix a fault and we would rather permanently fix the problem. We may sometimes use generators to restore power, but this will only be where repairs are extensive and they are going to take a long time.

We follow standards set by the industry regulator Ofgem. This involves making payments if we do not meet set guidelines. Find out if you are entitled to a payment.

When you have invested a lot of time and money in fish and equipment we want to help you look after them during a power cut. Here are some tips:

• During a power cut the temperature of the water in your tank will drop gradually. This speed depends on the surrounding temperature and the volume of water inside the tank, i.e. a larger volume of water will take longer to cool down than a smaller volume of water
• For insulation, wrap the tank in blankets. If possible, fill hot water bottles with warm water and place them around the outside of the tank
• Without power, the water will lose oxygen gradually. So fish suppliers recommend a cheap bubble-up filter that can run off a battery-powered air pump. If you don’t have one then a normal bicycle pump will do the job
• Fish suppliers recommend disturbing the water surface for five minutes each hour during a power cut. A good way is to fill a jug with tank water then pour it back in, making as much movement as possible

If your mobile phone is running low on battery then here are a few tips to extend your battery life.

1. Use the extra power saving mode if you have it
2. Cut apps running in the background
3. Turn down screen brightness
4. Top up your battery in your car if you have a car charger

Solar panels, or photovoltaic panels, are designed to collect sunlight and turn it into energy. Although they don't rely on the electricity network, if there's a power cut, solar panels will stop operating for safety.

If we need to switch off your power, we’ll give you as much notice as possible, unless it’s an emergency situation. We’ll send you an advanced warning letter 12 days before we carry out the work and a further reminder five days before.

Our letters are sometimes dismissed as junk mail. If you didn’t receive a letter please give us a call and we can check our records to ensure we have the correct information for you. 

Sometimes we may need to enter your property, but don’t worry we’ll send you a letter before letting you know. This is because we may need to check a piece of equipment called a cut-out and a plug socket to make sure electricity is running safely into your property. This is called a ‘polarity check’. We will need to carry out a check in the morning, before we switch off the power and carry out another check when we turn the power back on.

We usually provide generators for customers who are medically dependent on electricity. However, we recognise that there may be other situations where a generator is required. For example weddings or funerals.