Emergencies & Power Cuts

Unplanned power cuts: If you lose your electricity supply unexpectedly, follow these steps:

1. Check whether your neighbours  (or the  corridors if you live in an apartment) have also lost their supply.

2. If they also don’t have power, please call our emergency line on 0800 311 8074.

3. Or, if they do have power:

  • Check your trip switch. If it’s still on, call our emergency line.
  • If the trip switch is off, switch it back on. If it switches back off, one of your appliances may be faulty so unplug all appliances and then reset the trip switch.
  • If only part of your supply has failed and the trip won’t reset, there may be a fault with your internal wiring. Please contact a registered electrician.
  • Check your electricity meter. Is the dial/display working? If not, call our emergency line.

If you live in an apartment block

  • It’s likely the wiring is the responsibility of a Building Network Operator: talk to the concierge service or the Facilities company who should be able to assist.
  • More information on Building Network Operators is available here.

Frequently asked questions 

The industry Standards of Performance set out how quickly we must restore power following an interruption in supply.

For example, if your electricity supply fails because of a problem on our network during normal weather conditions, we must restore power within 12 hours. In more extreme weather events or circumstances, the restoration time permitted under the Standards of Performance vary and may be up to 48 hours.

If we fail to meet these Standards of Performance, we are required to pay customers affected by this failure. The Standards of Performance specify exactly who is entitled to receive payments, in what circumstances, and how much the payments will be.

We will be in touch to notify you of how to obtain the payment, but you can also get in touch using the contact form on the website.

Whilst we cannot guarantee a constant supply of electricity, we will always get your power restored as quickly as we can.

No, unfortunately we don’t pay compensation when the power cut was not caused by our own actions or negligence. We always act as quickly as possible to carry out repairs and restore your power. If your power is off for less than 8-12 hours your freezer contents will normally be fine, but please refer to your freezer manual for further information on food storage.

We understand that eating out may be a desirable option, but it is not something that we can be responsible for.   We, along with all other electricity networks, advise our customers to prepare for power cuts, which are likely (though unfrequent) events.

We can’t compensate you for loss of earnings during disruptions to power. However, if you wish to claim on your own insurance, please contact us and we can supply a letter of proof that a power cut occurred in order to support your case.

We understand that being without power is challenging but a generator isn’t always the best solution.  When deciding whether to use a generator, each situation is carefully considered, and we don’t take these decisions lightly.

Small generators that power individual homes are challenging to maintain and require regular refuelling.

Installing a generator takes time and resources from the same engineers who are working to fix the overall outage and we would rather permanently fix the problem.

It may be that the fault makes it unsafe for us to do so or there are no generators available.

Generally speaking, you should not rely on your electricity network operator to provide a generator. We typically only use them on a temporary basis when repairs are exceptionally extensive, for electricity-dependent medical needs (with oxygen equipment, mobility aids, or end-of-life care), or in case of disruption of events such as wedding and funerals.

If you’re using your own generator, it’s essential to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and follow the correct safety guidelines, particularly around ventilation. Stay safe by never using a portable generator indoors during a power outage or planned power interruption as it can lead to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide build-up. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly, invisible, and odourless gas. It can be produced by any appliance, including barbecues, that burns carbon-based fuels like gas, coal, oil, diesel, petrol, and wood.

If a generator is provided to restore power, please try to use less power than usual by switching off things you don’t need in your home. The speed of a generator can vary at times with its electrical loading, which can affect the voltage and frequency. These small variations won’t affect most things, but some conventional clocks may gain time. They will return to normal when we remove the generator.

Don’t worry, your electricity meter will not go faster. It will still accurately measure the electricity you use.

If you have solar panels or any other generation equipment that can export power back to the grid, it is essential that these systems are isolated (i.e. disconnected)  while the generator is in use. This may mean we need to knock at your door to ensure it is done; this is for safety reasons and to protect both your equipment and the generator.

When we reconnect your premises off the mobile generator onto the main network, you may experience a loss of supply for several minutes.

Handy tips

Avoid opening your fridge or freezer more than necessary: According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), your fridge will stay cool and your keep food safe for up to four hours during a power outage, provided you keep the door closed as much as possible. A full freezer will hold a safe temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it’s half full) if you keep the door closed.

Unplug expensive equipment: Following a power cut, electricity can sometimes return with a brief power surge that may damage sensitive electrical equipment. To help protect your appliances, switch off and unplug devices such as TVs, computers, gaming consoles, and other valuable electronics during the outage if it is safe to do so. When power is restored, wait a few minutes before plugging them back in to allow the supply to stabilise. Using quality surge-protected extension leads or plug-in surge protectors can also provide an extra layer of protection against unexpected voltage spikes.

Keep a lamp with the swtich on: this will help you know when the power is back on

Planned power cuts

Sometimes we have to turn the power off and notify you in advance. Read more about this here: Planned outages page and FAQs.

Claiming compensation against Guaranteed Standards

Guaranteed Standards are the levels of services we re bound to provide you with by Ofgem. If we fail to do so, we owe you compensation. The list of standards  applicable to powercuts are available here: Quality of supply.

We work hard to maintain supply, but if you think you are eligible for compensation based on the published standards, get in touch with us using our contact form. Please state your full address, the date of the powercut, and attach a proof of address.

For any other compensation about a powercut, please refer to our FAQs above.

Planned power cuts

Sometimes we have to turn the power off and notify you in advance. Read more about this here: Planned outages page and FAQs.

Emergency power cuts and Power sharing

Great Britain’s power supply is well maintained and reliable, but we do need to be prepared for the possibility of longer periods of disconnection – in the case of an energy shortage or a national emergency. While it’s unlikely this will happen, the UK Government has a rota plan in place for sharing electricity across the country – typically giving people three hours of energy at a time.

This would be communicated with you properly, if it ever needed to be put in place, but it’s always good to be prepared anyway and you can find lots of helpful tips here.

If you or anyone you know might need extra help if there is a loss of power, please apply for our Priority Services Register. If you need specialist medical support during a power cut, you should also consider seeking medical advice from your local health service provider or by calling 111.

If you are non-domestic customer and think we should treat your supply as strategic in times of power cuts, please follow the process for the Protected Site List in the Electricity Supply Emergency Code.

Head Office,
6500 Daresbury Park,
Warrington,
Cheshire
WA4 4GE
Tel: 03303 209 899

UK Power Distribution Limited (UKPD) is an Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO).

What to do if you have a loss of supply

If you experience a loss of electricity supply, please follow these steps listed on our Emergency Information page.

Emergency information
Powercut tracker

Tampering with the meter is illegal and can be extremely unsafe. If you’re concerned about energy theft, you can report it anonymously to Stay Energy Safe at www.stayenergysafe.co.uk or by calling 0800 0230 2777.