Power cut kit (UK): what to keep and what to do, from the Be Ready guidance

Updated on 27 October 2026How these pages are written (in French)

This page is for households in the United Kingdom. It is an independent summary of the "Power cuts" page of the UK government's Be Ready guidance, developed by the Cabinet Office, and of its general advice on getting ready for emergencies. The guidance is free at beready.campaign.gov.uk.

The Be Ready guidance lists what a power cut can take with it: "Gas ovens, boilers, heat pumps and your home internet won’t work without power."

It adds three less obvious effects:

• Your mobile phone might stop working if your local mast is in the affected area.
• Mains water to your home could also be disrupted during and after power cuts.
• Your landline may not work, depending on how it is connected. If it is your only way to call emergency services, or a telecare device relies on it, Be Ready asks you to check with your landline provider.

Be Ready says power cuts have a number of causes, including severe weather, which can damage infrastructure, and system faults. More widespread outages could have regional or, although unlikely, national impacts.

The Be Ready "Power cuts" page asks you to keep at home:

• A battery or wind-up torch, and spare batteries. Be Ready states: "Torches are safer than candles." It also advises against relying on your phone's torch, because it drains the battery more quickly.
• A battery or wind-up radio, and spare batteries. There might be updates by radio during a power cut.
• At least 3 days of bottled water: 3 litres per person per day.
• Non-perishable food that needs no cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables, and a tin opener.
• Ready-made baby formula and pet food, if needed.
• A small amount of cash for essential purchases if electronic payments or cash machines are disrupted.

The general Be Ready checklist adds a charged power bank, "To charge phones or compatible medical devices", plus blankets and warm clothing. The full list, category by category, is in our emergency kit checklist.

Be Ready asks for at least 3 days of bottled water, at 3 litres per person per day. For drinking alone, over three days, that means at least:

• One person: 9 litres.
• Two people: 18 litres.
• A family of four: 36 litres.

Be Ready notes that gas ovens won't work without power: in our view, that is a good reason to choose food that needs no cooking. Be Ready includes a tin opener in the same list.

Be Ready points out that you would lose internet connection and possibly mobile signal during a power cut. It asks you to write down on paper:

• The number to report a power cut: 105 in England, Scotland and Wales, and 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. You can also save it in your mobile phone.
• The frequencies of any local or national radio stations you use for news updates.

Be Ready suggests keeping these notes with your torch or radio, "in a place that’s easy to find in the dark". You could add them to the Be Ready household emergency plan.

This is the section of the Be Ready guidance that most needs action before a power cut.

• Landline for emergency calls, or a telecare kit on your landline: contact your landline provider to understand whether your phone will work during a power cut. If it will not, your provider might offer you a free solution (such as a back-up battery unit), for a minimum of one hour, so that you could call the emergency services.
• Personal alarm or connected health equipment (Be Ready gives diabetes sensors as an example): speak to your device provider or manufacturer to understand how it will function during a power cut.
• Medical equipment that needs a power supply: Be Ready asks you to make a plan with your care provider and/or clinical care teams now. The plan should set out what action you, or someone you care for, needs to take and who to contact if there is a power outage. Make sure your care provider, clinical care team and/or equipment supplier has given you enough information to understand how the equipment works and what to do if there is a power disruption.

The Priority Services Register is described by Be Ready as "a free service to help people who have additional needs". It lets your energy supplier know that you need additional support during a power cut.

• Who is eligible: Be Ready says lots of households are eligible, including those with children under 5.
• Where: England, Wales and Scotland, at thepsr.co.uk or through your energy supplier. In Northern Ireland, these are called Customer Care Registers.
• What you get: wherever possible, advance notice of scheduled power cuts. If you rely on your energy supply for medical reasons, your network operator can tell you about planned power cuts, for example for engineering work. You can also get priority support in an emergency.

Be Ready explains that in the unlikely event of a national energy shortage, emergency power cuts could be scheduled on a rotating area-by-area basis. Each area in Great Britain is assigned a "load block letter" and would be disconnected from the grid for around three hours at a time.

You can find your letter by entering your postcode at powercut105.com. Some energy suppliers also include it on electricity bills.

The Be Ready guidance says:

• Report it: visit your local network operator's website to report the power cut and track updates. If you cannot report it online, call 105 for free in England, Wales and Scotland, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland.
• Keep away from hazards such as power lines. Be Ready warns: "Electricity at high voltages can jump gaps with no warning."
• Turn off items such as irons, ovens, electric fires and fryers. Unplug your TV and PC, as they can be damaged if there is a surge when power goes back on.
• Keep warm with blankets and layered clothing. Keep doors of unused rooms closed and close curtains to keep the heat in.
• Keep fridge and freezer doors closed, so they stay cold for several hours. The Food Standards Agency has advice on food safety in a power cut.
• Get news by radio: use a battery or wind-up radio and try FM and digital modes. A car radio also works, but in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.
• Check in on neighbours and, if you are able, offer to share blankets, clothing or food, and pass on any information about when the power is expected to return.

Be Ready names them: "Older adults, babies and young children, and people with long-term health problems are most likely to become ill if they get too cold."

The general Be Ready guidance asks you to agree a backup plan with anyone who might need extra support, particularly if they live alone. If an outage happens and you cannot call, you or another trusted person they know could visit them in person.

Be Ready says that to prepare baby formula safely, you need to be able to boil water and follow the normal safety procedures. Its key points:

• No tap water: "using ready-made or ready-to-feed formula is the safest option."
• Why it matters in a power cut: Be Ready's checklist adds: "Ready-made or 'ready-to-feed' formula is best, as you may not be able to boil water to make up powdered formula safely."
• Powdered formula "is not sterile and should only be prepared using freshly boiled water."
• Bottled water is not usually recommended for formula, because it is not sterile and may contain too much salt (sodium) or sulphate.
• In rare circumstances, such as when drinking water is unavailable or contaminated, you can use still bottled water. Check the label: no more than 200 mg per litre of sodium or 250 mg/L of sulphate. It should be boiled to sterilise it and allowed to cool for no more than 30 minutes.

The NHS has detailed advice on making up baby formula.

• 999 (or 112 from a mobile): emergency services.
• 105: report a power cut in England, Scotland and Wales.
• 03457 643643: report a power cut in Northern Ireland.

• UK Government (Cabinet Office), Power cuts: preparing, what to do during a power cut, Priority Services Register, load block letters, baby formula, medical equipment (accessed 27 October 2026)
• UK Government, Be ready for emergencies: checklist, plan, neighbours, power cut numbers (accessed 27 October 2026)
• UK Government, Be informed about hazards (accessed 27 October 2026)

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