Emergency Power and Lighting Guide

After the first 24 hours, switch from "wait it out" to "manage it". Practical UK actions: 1) Call 105 — the free national power cut number run by the Energy Networks Association. They confirm the fault, give an ETA and log vulnerable households. 2) Keep the fridge and freezer closed — a full freezer stays safe for ~48 h, a fridge ~4 h (Food Standards Agency). 3) Unplug sensitive electronics to protect against surges when power is restored. 4) Charge phones and power banks from a 12 V car USB if needed — never run the engine in an attached garage because of carbon monoxide risk. 5) Move to one warm room, close internal doors, and use throws plus a hot water bottle. Storm Eowyn in January 2025 left some Scottish and NI households off-grid for over a week — those who had a 20,000 mAh power bank, a head torch and a butane stove fared best. 6) Check on elderly neighbours, especially if temperatures fall below 4 °C.

Under OFGEM Guaranteed Standards of Performance, your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) — not your supplier — must pay you set amounts after long power cuts. As of 2026 the rates are: £90 for the first 24 hours off supply, then £40 for every additional 12 hours, capped at £360 per household for a single normal-weather incident. Storm-related caps are higher and the trigger time longer (e.g. £70 after 24 h during a Category 1 storm, then £70 per 6 h up to £700). To claim: 1) Find your DNO with your postcode at energynetworks.org or by calling 105. 2) Note start and end times from your meter, smart meter app or 105 calls. 3) Submit a claim online to your DNO (UKPN, SPEN, SSEN, Electricity North West, NPg, NIE Networks or NGED). 4) You usually have 3 months from restoration. After Storm Eowyn, OFGEM confirmed thousands of automatic payments to NI and Scottish households — but many other claims still needed manual submission.

105 is the free UK-wide power cut helpline run by the Energy Networks Association on behalf of every electricity Distribution Network Operator (DNO). Call from a landline or mobile any time of day — it works on all UK networks, including pay-as-you-go, and is free to call. Use 105 when: 1) The lights go out and you have ruled out a blown fuse or tripped consumer unit. 2) You need an estimated restoration time. 3) You spot a downed power line, sparking junction box or storm-damaged pylon — they will dispatch engineers and the police if it is a safety hazard. 4) You are on the Priority Services Register and need a welfare check, bottled water, hot meals or an emergency generator. 5) After a Met Office Amber or Red weather warning to log your vulnerable household details before storms arrive. Storm Eowyn (January 2025) and Storm Babet (October 2023) both saw 105 calls spike into the hundreds of thousands. Save it in your phone contacts now — many people only learn the number after their first long outage.

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free service run by every UK energy and water supplier under OFGEM and Ofwat rules. It flags vulnerable households for extra support during power cuts, water outages and other disruptions. Eligibility includes households with: people aged over 60, pregnant women, families with children under 5, anyone with a chronic illness (cancer, heart, lung, kidney), people who depend on mains-powered medical kit (dialysis, oxygen, CPAP, electric wheelchair, stairlift), people with hearing or sight loss, mental health conditions, or anyone temporarily struggling (recent bereavement, English as a second language, hospital discharge). Benefits: advance warning of planned cuts, priority restoration, dedicated 24/7 phone line, free bottled water deliveries, emergency hot meals from your supplier, and during long storms, generator support. Sign up directly with your electricity supplier, gas supplier and water company — you have to register separately with each — or ask your DNO via 105. Northern Ireland uses NIE Networks' Customer Care Register.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) rule is simple: a full freezer keeps food safe for around 48 hours unopened, a fridge for around 4 hours. To stretch this through a 3-day cut like Storm Arwen or Storm Eowyn: 1) Stop opening the doors — every peek loses an hour of cold. 2) Pack the freezer with 2-litre bottles of frozen water before the storm; ice acts as thermal mass and gives you drinkable water as it melts. 3) Move milk, yoghurt, butter and meats from the fridge into the freezer in the first hour while everything is still cold. 4) Group items tightly so they cool each other — empty spaces warm fastest. 5) Pile blankets over a chest freezer to slow heat ingress. 6) After 48 h, check the freezer with a thermometer: food at or below 8 °C with ice crystals can be cooked and eaten (or refrozen, with some quality loss); anything warmer should be binned. 7) If the cut runs over 3 days, a 1,000 Wh portable power station (EcoFlow Delta 2 or Bluetti AC180) can keep a UK A-rated fridge-freezer running for 12 to 24 h per charge.