Power cut advice

If you need to report a power cut or dangerous situation, go to the National Grid website, or find out here who your electricity distribution company is."

If you have any neighbours nearby and it is safe to do so, check to see if they have lost their power too. If they have it is more than likely that it is a local network fault.

If you have medical support equipment that needs power to operate you should make sure you have another source of power, such as a battery. Contact your hospital or doctor for advice. You need to tell us if you have medical support equipment, so that we can pass the information on to the distribution company.

• Warm Response Service

If you have an Electric Prepayment Meter (a meter where you make payments to a key, by token or smartcard and then place the credit directly to your meter): with no supply, or device or meter problems call 0845 070 4853*.

• Keep a torch and fresh batteries where you can reach them easily.
• Keep your latest energy bill somewhere easy to find as this will have emergency contact details on the front.
• Turn off all your electrical appliances and lights, but leave one light switched on so you know when the power is back on.
• Take great care with other forms of heating and lighting, such as paraffin heaters and candles.
• Remember that the doorbell will probably not work (unless it runs on batteries), nor will an alarm system (unless it has a battery back-up).
• If you have been advised that the electricity will be turned off, keep some boiled water in a thermos flask to make hot drinks and fill a hot water bottle if the weather is cold
• When your supply is back on, electric timers, alarm clocks and so on may need to be reset.
• Any food in the freezer should stay frozen for approximately 8 hours. Do not open the freezer door unless you have to. Check the food when the power is back on to make sure it has not thawed. If it has, do not re-freeze it. You may be able to claim on your household contents insurance for any lost food. Check your policy to make sure.

If the trip switch is in the ‘off’ position or the fuses have blown, it’s likely that you have a faulty appliance or problems with your wiring.

How to check your trip switches and fuses:

• First check that you have a trip switch. It is also known as an RCD (residual current device) or an ELCB (earth leakage circuit breaker). This will be on or near the fuse box
• If you are not sure, have a look at the fuse box. The fuse box will be no further than 3 metres away from your electricity meter. If you have a trip switch, you will be able to see a 'push to test' button, bar, or a 'reset' button.
• Please note that not all properties have a trip switch.

• Turn the trip switch off and back on again. This safety feature may have been triggered without the switch physically moving and this may reset it.
• If the supply isn’t restored, push the ‘test’ button. If the switch trips, you’ve probably got a problem with your wiring or an appliance. This is because the ‘push to test’ button can only trip the switch if your local network operator’s supply is healthy. The trip will now be in the ‘off’ position.
• If the trip switch is on and the ‘push to test’ button does not trip the switch, then there is no electricity coming into the property.

• Try to switch the trip back on. If it stays on but the supply is still off, check that the main switch on the fuse box is on.
• If the trip switch trips immediately, then you have a fault with your wiring, an appliance or the fuse box.
• If you have a separate fuse box and trip switch, turn the fuse box off and turn the trip switch back on. The trip should then stay on, however if the trip switches to the ‘off’ position again, then you have a fault with the fuse box or the trip switch itself.
• It may be an appliance that is causing the trip to switch off. Try switching all your appliances off and putting them back on individually.
• If you think you have a fault with your appliances, fuse box or wiring you’ll need a qualified electrician and shouldn’t try to repair it yourself.

If you’ve checked your fuses or trip switches and your appliances and wiring are not faulty, you should report the power cut (see ‘How to report a power cut’ section above).

If there’s a hot substance like black tar leaking from your electricity meter and it has a strange smell, turn off your electricity at the meter and contact your local network operator. Go to the National Grid website, or find out here who your electricity distribution company is.

If it’s cold and there’s no smell, phone our Enquiry line on 0845 070 4850* (0845 070 4853* for prepayment). They will pass your details on to your local network operator who will contact you to discuss the work.