Power cuts: calm, simple, sorted
Independent guide. UK Be Ready is an independent website. We are not part of the Government's Be Ready campaign (launched 22 October 2026), and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government or GOV.UK. For official advice visit beready.campaign.gov.uk.
The lights flicker, the fridge goes silent, and everyone looks at the fuse box. Most power cuts in Britain are short and fixed the same day, but losing electricity takes more with it than you might think.
Quick answerCheck your trip switches and a neighbour, then call 105 (free, England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland 03457 643 643). Keep the fridge and freezer shut, use torches rather than candles, and layer up: most gas boilers stop too.
What stops when the power stops
- Heating: most gas boilers need electricity to run.
- Broadband, Wi-Fi and digital landlines: your home phone may not work, and mobile signal can weaken as masts run down their batteries.
- Card machines and cash machines in local shops.
- Fridges and freezers, and sometimes water pressure in tall buildings.
What's happened before
- Storm Arwen, November 2021: nearly a million homes lost power. About 4,000 in northern England and Scotland were cut off for over a week.
- Storm Éowyn, January 2025: a red warning, with hundreds of thousands affected in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Some homes in Northern Ireland waited around 11 days.
- North Hyde substation fire, March 2025: about 71,600 customers in west London, and Heathrow closed for a day. Most homes were back on within hours.
- Spain and Portugal, April 2025: almost the whole peninsula went dark in seconds, and people queued with cash for batteries and radios.
The Government's planning scenario for a full national power failure, which Great Britain has never had, assumes full restoration could take up to 7 days. That's why the basics matter.
Before
- Save 105. It's the free power cut number for England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland call 03457 643 643.
- Join the Priority Services Register if anyone at home relies on medical equipment, is older or disabled, or has young children.
- Keep torches and spare batteries, a charged power bank, a battery or wind-up radio, and some cash (our cash planner works out how much).
- Know your load block letter (it's on your electricity bill or at powercut105.com) in case of planned rota cuts.
- Use a landline with an alarm or telecare service? Ask your provider about a battery back-up.
During
- Check whether it's just you: look at your trip switches and ask a neighbour. Then call 105 or check its website.
- Keep the fridge and freezer shut. Food stays cold for about 4 hours in the fridge, around 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 hours in a half-full one.
- Turn off appliances that could come back on unexpectedly, such as the hob, iron or heaters. Leave one light switched on so you know when power returns.
- Torches, not candles. If you must use candles, never leave them unattended.
- Never use a barbecue, camping stove or generator indoors.
- Layer up, and check on neighbours.
After
If in doubt about fridge food, throw it out. After a long cut, ask your network operator about compensation.
Your 10-minute job: put a torch where you can find it in the dark, and save 105 in your phone. Then see our step-by-step guide, the printable checklist and the universal basics.
Official advice
Sources
- Be Ready: Power cuts. beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts
- Cabinet Office, National Risk Register 2025 (national and regional power failure). www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2025
- Ofgem, final Storm Arwen review, June 2022. www.ofgem.gov.uk/press-release/ofgem-publishes-full-report-following-six-month-review-networks-response-storm-arwen
- Energy Networks Association, 400+ electricity engineers redeployed to support Storm Éowyn reconnection work, Jan 2025. www.energynetworks.org/newsroom/more-than-400-electricity-engineers-redeployed-across-the-uk-to-support-storm-eowyn-reconnection-work
- NESO, North Hyde review, 2025. www.neso.energy/publications/north-hyde-review
- ENTSO-E, final report on the 28 April 2025 grid incident in Spain and Portugal. eepublicdownloads.blob.core.windows.net/public-cdn-container/clean-documents/Publications/2025/iberian-blackout/Final%20Report%20on%20the%20Grid%20Incident%20in%20Spain%20and%20Portugal%20on%2028%20April%202025.pdf
- Food Standards Agency, food safety in a power cut. www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-safety-in-a-power-cut-advice-for-consumers
- Power Cut 105. www.powercut105.com
- NI Direct, energy, power supply and utilities. www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/energy-power-supply-and-utilities
- Ofcom, the future of landline calls. www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/landline-phones/future-of-landline-calls
Last checked 2026-11-01. Facts and figures are linked to their original sources above.