Start with people, not the thermostat. Put on several thin, dry layers, gather everyone in one room, close curtains and doors to unused rooms, and use blankets. Keep moving gently if you can. Use torches, not candles. Never use a barbecue, camping stove or portable generator indoors. Report the cut on 105 in England, Scotland or Wales, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland (Prepare).
Before: make a cold power-cut plan
Will my boiler or heat pump work without electricity?
Usually not. GOV.UK Prepare says gas boilers and heat pumps will not work without power. Modern boilers need electrical controls and pumps; oil and LPG systems also commonly depend on powered controls. OFTEC warns that liquid-fuel heating timers can reset after a cut.
Heating and hot-water behaviour varies. A combi has no hot-water cylinder; system and heat-only boilers use stored water, but availability during a cut depends on the installation (Energy Saving Trust). A heat pump stops and should normally resume afterwards (SSEN).
Find the correct manuals now. Ask your installer what stops, what restarts automatically and whether any timer or pressure setting needs checking. Never connect fixed heating equipment to an improvised battery, generator or extension lead.
What should I have ready?
Keep these together where you can find them in the dark:
- battery or wind-up torches, plus spare batteries;
- a charged power bank and the right cables;
- a battery or wind-up radio;
- dry layers, hats, warm socks, blankets and sleeping bags;
- regular medicines and paper instructions for medical equipment;
- water and food that needs no cooking; and
- paper contact numbers, including the power-cut number.
This is the useful core of the public GOV.UK Prepare checklist. Add to it gradually, and agree who will check on whom.
Fit and test an audible carbon monoxide alarm that meets BS Kitemark or EN 50291, particularly where there is a fuel-burning appliance. It is a warning device, not permission to use outdoor cooking or heating equipment inside (Prepare: cold weather).
The first 10 minutes
What should I do as soon as the power goes off?
- Use a torch and check whether neighbours or street lights are also out.
- Report the cut to the network operator: 105 in Great Britain or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland.
- Switch off ovens, hobs, irons, electric fires and fryers. Unplug sensitive electronics.
- Put on layers before you feel chilled.
- Close curtains and doors to unused rooms.
- Keep the fridge and freezer closed.
- Check anyone who is older, very young, pregnant, unwell, housebound or living alone.
Several thin layers keep you warmer than one thick layer because they trap warm air between them. Choose dry, loose clothing and cover feet, hands and head as needed (UK Chief Medical Officers’ advice).
If it lasts longer: make one room work
Which room should we use?
Choose a room everyone can reach safely, ideally away from obvious draughts and with enough space to sit and sleep. Close doors to the rest of the home. Draw curtains at dusk, but keep heaters and any working fuel-burning appliance clear of fabric.
Use a rolled towel at the bottom of a draughty door if it does not cover a ventilation opening. Do not block air bricks, flues or purpose-built vents. Put feet on a stool, cushion or folded blanket rather than directly on a cold floor. Nobody awards points for trying to keep every room equally chilly.
If you can, move or stretch gently at least once an hour. Chair-based movement is useful for someone who cannot walk easily. Do not exercise to exhaustion or do anything that increases fall risk (GOV.UK cold-weather advice).
Can I use a hot-water bottle?
Only if you can heat water safely with equipment intended for indoor use and the bottle is sound. Never use boiling water. Child Accident Prevention Trust advises filling no more than two-thirds, carefully expelling air, tightening the stopper and using a cover. Check for cracks, splits or damaged seams first. Do not sit or lie on it, and take extra care with children or anyone with reduced sensation.
Do not use a hot-water bottle to treat suspected hypothermia. The NHS advises gradual protection with dry blankets while waiting for medical help.
Carbon monoxide: the shortcuts that are never safe
Can I use a barbecue, camping stove or generator indoors?
No. Never use any of them inside a home, garage, shed, tent or other enclosed or partly enclosed place. Do not use a gas hob or oven to heat a room. Carbon monoxide can be produced when fuel burns, and you cannot see, smell or taste it.
Opening a door or window does not turn outdoor equipment into indoor equipment. Portable generators must stay outside and away from buildings, doors, windows and vents, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Never run a car engine in a garage (UK Chief Medical Officers’ advice).
What does carbon monoxide poisoning feel like?
The NHS lists headache, dizziness, feeling or being sick, weakness, tiredness, confusion, chest or muscle pain and shortness of breath. Symptoms may improve outside and worsen again indoors.
If an alarm sounds or you suspect carbon monoxide, stop using the appliance if you can do so without delay, get everyone into fresh air and seek medical advice. Call 999 if someone is struggling to breathe, suddenly confused, unconscious or otherwise severely unwell. Do not go back inside until it is declared safe.
When is cold becoming a medical emergency?
What are the signs of hypothermia?
Look for shivering, pale cold skin, slurred speech, slow breathing, tiredness or confusion. A baby may be cold to touch, floppy, unusually quiet or sleepy, or refuse feeds. The NHS says hypothermia is a medical emergency: call 999 or go to A&E if you think you or your child has it.
While waiting, move the person to shelter, remove wet clothing and wrap them in dry blankets or towels, including the head. If they are fully awake, a warm non-alcoholic drink may help. Stay with them. Do not use a hot bath, hot-water bottle or heat lamp, do not rub their limbs and do not give alcohol.
Do not wait for a thermometer reading before seeking help. Pay particular attention to older adults, babies and young children, pregnant people, anyone with heart or lung conditions, people with low mobility and those living alone (GOV.UK).
If the home is becoming too cold
Contact the network operator for restoration updates. Tell family, neighbours or carers that you need help while phones still work. If it is safe to travel and an appropriate warmer place is available, make the move before roads or pavements worsen; take medicines, equipment, chargers and warm clothing. Follow local authority and emergency-service advice.
Do not rely on a digital landline or telecare alarm without checking its backup. Broadband equipment usually needs mains electricity. Keep a mobile and power bank charged, but remember that mobile masts can also lose service during a long cut (Prepare).
People who need extra help
Anyone using powered medical equipment needs a written plan agreed with their clinical team and equipment provider. Confirm battery runtime under the person’s real settings, who supplies replacements and where to go if the home is unsafe. The free Priority Services Register can offer advance notice of planned cuts and extra emergency support, but it does not guarantee continuous electricity; contact both the supplier and network operator (Ofgem). Arrange an in-person check for anyone living alone if communications fail.
If you live in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales
Call 105 for a power cut in Scotland or Wales, as in England. In Northern Ireland call NIE Networks on 03457 643643, and ask about its Customer Care Register rather than the Great Britain PSR name (Prepare). England’s public-health baseline is at least 18°C in regularly used rooms for a healthy, active adult under 65, while Northern Ireland advises 18–21°C in the main living room and at least 16°C elsewhere (GOV.UK, nidirect). These are planning guides, not a reason to wait for a particular reading before helping someone who looks unwell.
After power returns
Let the supply settle, then check the heating. Heat pumps usually resume after a short delay. Boiler controls and oil-heating timers may need the time and schedule checked; follow the manual and use the installer if a fault remains (SSEN, OFTEC). Recharge batteries, dry any damp kit and replace what you used.
We’re putting together an Essentials Kit: the non-food essentials from the Prepare list in one bag, with a card saying exactly which water and tins to add. Join the list to hear when it’s ready.
Sources
- GOV.UK Prepare, power cuts: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts/
- GOV.UK Prepare, cold weather, snow and ice: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/cold-weather-snow-ice/
- GOV.UK Prepare, getting prepared: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/get-prepared-for-emergencies/
- UK Chief Medical Officers, keeping warm in a national outage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-advice-from-uk-cmos-during-a-national-power-outage/keeping-warm-or-cool-in-extreme-weather-scripts-for-broadcast-media
- GOV.UK, keeping warm and well: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-warm-and-well-staying-safe-in-cold-weather/top-tips-for-keeping-warm-and-well-this-winter
- NHS, hypothermia: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypothermia/
- NHS, carbon monoxide poisoning: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/
- Energy Saving Trust, boiler types: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/boilers/
- OFTEC, heating troubleshooting: https://www.oftec.org/consumers/trouble-shooting-tips/
- SSEN, low-carbon technology during power cuts: https://www.ssen.co.uk/power-cuts-emergencies/planned-power-cuts/
- Child Accident Prevention Trust, hot-water bottle safety: https://capt.org.uk/hot-water-bottle-safety/
- Ofgem, Priority Services Register: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/your-energy-supply/how-manage-your-energy-supply/join-your-suppliers-priority-services-register
- nidirect, cold-weather health advice: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/news/cold-weather-health-advice-and-keep-neighbours-mind