Experiencing a power cut isn’t a scenario anyone wants to find themselves in, but the thing is this scenario isn’t uncommon, and there can be numerous reasons why you might find your home without any electricity. It might be that your system is ageing and can’t cope with demand, you might have a leak that triggered your system to shut down, or there could be an external problem that’s left you without any power.

And for the most part, you won’t know immediately what the cause is; you’ll just be plunged into darkness or notice that all of your electrically powered devices aren’t working.

But what do you do for the best in the event of a power cut?

Check If It’s Just Your Home or The Whole Street

Look out the window or go outside if you can and see if any other homes are experiencing the same thing. If you want to, or are able to, knock on your neighbours’ doors and ask them if they’re experiencing the same thing or not.

However, it’s worth noting that not all properties are supplied by the same electricity cables, so you might find your immediate neighbours still have power, but a few houses down are in the same position if the cause is an external issue. If so, there’s likely nothing you can do except report it to the network and await an update on when repairs will occur. Most network operators have a free number or an app or website you can report power cuts on so they can get engineers out to fix the problem. If it’s just your house, then you need to make some checks to find out what the issue is.

Check the Fuse Box for a Tripped Switch

This is usually more noticeable if it’s just part of the house, as you’ll know something has tripped a switch. But after a power cut, you need to check the fuse box for any switches that are off or flipped down instead of up.

If so, this is a tripped switch, and usually putting it back on fixes the problem. If it resets and stays on, you’re all good, but a check over the part of the house that the switch covers will be a good idea to check for any leaks or other damage. If it trips again immediately, then it might be time to call an electrician to get to the bottom of it, as you might have a genuine electrical fault that needs addressing sooner rather than later.

Keep Fridges and Freezers Closed

Every time a fridge or freezer is opened during a power cut, the cold air escapes and warms the contents up. Keeping both closed as much as possible helps to keep the air cold for several hours, reducing spoilage. A full freezer holds its temperature longer than a half-empty one, so it’s always worth keeping something in there to help in the event of a power cut, not that you predict when one will happen.

Unplug Electronics

While the power is off, go around your house and turn off all the plug sockets and disconnect anything that doesn’t need to be plugged in. Anything that does need power instantly, like your fridge or freezer, keep plugged in, but anything else, remove it so you prevent power surges when the electricity comes back on. Then you can go around and replug everything back in again once things are back up and running.