Power cut checklist

A general checklist for any UK home, based on official advice from gov.uk Prepare, the British Red Cross and the electricity network operators. For a version that fits your own household and heating, use the plan above and print it.

You don't need to get everything at once. Start with what you already have.

The short answer

Before a power cut, keep a torch, a radio, a charged power bank, some water and food that doesn't need cooking in one place. When the power goes, check it's not just your home, call 105, use torches rather than candles and keep the fridge and freezer shut.

Before a power cut

In one cupboard:

• Torch or battery lantern
• Spare batteries for the torch and radio
• Battery or wind-up radio
• Charged power bank and phone cable
• Bottled water: work out how much with the water calculator
• Food that doesn't need cooking, and a manual tin opener
• First aid kit
• Some cash
• Warm clothes and blankets

Around the home:

• Find your fuse box (consumer unit) and check you can reach it in the dark
• Check your gas hob's manual to see whether it can be lit by hand
• Find the manual release on any electric garage door or gates
• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• Write key phone numbers on paper, and fill in a household emergency plan

If someone needs extra help:

• Join the Priority Services Register through your energy supplier or network operator. It's free.
• Ask your medical equipment supplier or GP about a backup plan, and write it down
• Ask your telecare or phone provider what happens to an alarm or landline in a power cut
• Keep prescription medicines, ready-made formula or pet food with your kit, as needed

In the first hour

1. Check your fuse box for a tripped switch and see whether neighbours have power.
2. If it's not just you, call 105 or check your network operator's website.
3. Use torches or battery lanterns, not candles.
4. Switch off hobs, heaters, irons and anything else that could be dangerous if it came back on unattended. Leave one light on.
5. Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed.
6. Check on neighbours who may need help.

If it goes on longer

• Keep warm in one room: close doors and curtains, wear layers, use blankets
• Put phones on low-power mode and top up from the power bank
• Listen to local radio for updates
• Eat food that doesn't need cooking
• Drink stored water if the water supply is affected too

When the power comes back

• Switch appliances back on one at a time
• Check the Food Standards Agency's advice before eating chilled or frozen food
• Reset clocks and timers, including the heating
• Recharge the power bank and replace anything you used from your kit

Print this checklist

Use your browser's print option to print this page or save it as a PDF. For a one-page plan with your own household's details, use the household power cut plan.

When to get help

• Anyone in danger: call 999.
• Worried about someone's health: call NHS 111.
• The power cut: call 105.
• Medical equipment: contact your equipment supplier.

This is a general checklist based on official advice. Your own home may need more or less: the household plan shows what applies to you.

FAQs

What should be in a power cut kit?

A torch, spare batteries, a battery or wind-up radio, a charged power bank, water, food that doesn't need cooking, a first aid kit and some cash. Some of it may already be in the house.

Should I unplug everything?

Switch off anything that could be dangerous if it came back on while you're not there, such as hobs, heaters and irons. Leave one light on so you know when the power is back.

Do I need a separate kit for power cuts?

No. The same home kit covers power cuts, storms and the water going off. Keep it together in one cupboard.

Should I keep candles for a power cut?

Official advice is to use torches or battery lanterns rather than candles.