Power-cut guide
What to do in a power cut in Cornwall
Storms bring the lines down across Cornwall most winters. Here’s what to do when the power goes, what to check, and how to be ready for next time.
Right now
First steps, in order
- Check it isn’t just your house. Look at your fuse box (consumer unit). If a switch has tripped, there may be a fault in your home. Are your neighbours or the street lights off too?
- Call 105 or check online. Call 105 free from any phone, or visit powercut105.com. In Cornwall the lines are run by National Grid Electricity Distribution. They can tell you if they know about it and roughly when it should be back.
- Keep the fridge and freezer shut. They stay cold for hours if you leave the doors closed.
- Switch off things that could start by themselves. Turn off cookers, heaters, irons and hair straighteners, so they don’t come back on unattended. Leave one light switched on so you know when the power returns.
- Check on neighbours who are older, live alone or rely on medical equipment.
Staying safe
Light, heat and fumes
Torches, not candles
Use torches or battery lanterns where you can. If you must use candles, keep them in proper holders, away from curtains, and never leave them burning when you leave the room.
Never run a generator indoors
Petrol and diesel generators and barbecues give off carbon monoxide, which you can’t see or smell and which can kill. Never use them inside your home, garage, porch or tent. Battery power stations give off no fumes and are safe indoors. Power station or generator?
Keeping warm
Most gas and oil boilers need electricity for the pump and controls, so the heating usually stops too. Close doors and curtains to keep the heat in one room, wear layers and use hot water bottles filled before the power went.
Carbon monoxide alarm
If you have a wood burner, open fire or gas appliances, make sure your carbon monoxide alarm works. Battery alarms keep working in a power cut.
Food
Is the food in the fridge still safe?
Keep the doors closed and you have more time than you think.
- A closed fridge usually stays cold for about 4 hours.
- A full freezer stays frozen for up to about 48 hours. A half-full one lasts about 24 hours.
- If the power’s been off longer, throw away meat, fish, dairy and cooked food that has warmed up. If in doubt, throw it out.
- Don’t refreeze food that has fully thawed.
Keep the fridge running
An Elite 200 V2 runs a typical fridge-freezer for about a day and a half on one charge, with no wiring and no fumes. See how much power appliances use.
Power-cut hireThings that stop when the power does
Water, phones and alarms
Some of these catch people out, especially in rural Cornwall.
Private water supplies
If your water comes from a borehole, well or spring, it’s probably pumped by electricity, so the taps stop. Fill bottles and a bath when a storm is forecast. Pumped septic tanks and sewage treatment plants stop too, so go easy on water until the power is back.
Digital landlines
Most home phones now plug into the broadband router, so they don’t work in a power cut. Keep a mobile charged, and a power bank too. If signal is poor where you live, a power station can keep the router and phone going.
Care and personal alarms
Many care alarms now work through the router or a digital line. Ask your alarm provider how long theirs lasts without power, and whether a battery backup is available.
Electric gates, garage doors and stairlifts
Know how to open them by hand. Most have a manual release or key. Check before winter, not in the dark.
Medical equipment
If you rely on power for your health
- Join the Priority Services Register. It’s free. National Grid will warn you before planned power cuts and can offer extra help during a long one.
- Tell 105 that you depend on equipment when you report the cut.
- Know how long your batteries last for oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, powered beds and mobility scooters, and keep them charged.
- Have a backup plan agreed with your clinical team. A power station is a good part of it, but should never be the only plan for life-critical equipment.
Before the next storm
Get ready for winter
Most Cornish power cuts are fixed within a few hours, but big storms can leave some homes off for a day or more. Ten minutes in the autumn makes a long cut much easier.
- Torches and spare batteries where you can find them in the dark
- Phones and power banks charged when a warning is issued
- Know where your fuse box is and how to reset a tripped switch
- Save 105 in your phone
- Check Met Office weather warnings for Cornwall
- Join the Priority Services Register if you’re eligible
- Fill water bottles if you’re on a private supply
- Food that doesn’t need cooking, and a way to boil water
- Blankets and hot water bottles to hand
- A backup for the fridge, router or medical kit
Storm Season · from £345 for the winter
Have power ready before the storm arrives
In a big storm, fallen trees and blocked roads make deliveries hard. With Storm Season, we deliver a charged power station before December and collect it at the end of February. If your power goes off, it switches over and keeps the fridge, router and lights on.
Two ways to be ready
Keep one at home all winter, or hire one when you need it.
Storm Season Power-cut hireWhen it’s back
Once the power returns
- Switch things back on a few at a time, not all at once.
- Check the fridge and freezer, and throw out anything that has warmed up.
- Reset clocks, timers and the heating.
- If your house is still off when the street is back on, check your fuse box, then call 105.
Power cut questions
Who do I call in a power cut in Cornwall?
Call 105 free from any phone, or visit powercut105.com. It puts you through to National Grid Electricity Distribution, who run the power lines in Cornwall. They can tell you whether they know about the cut and when they expect it to be fixed. If you see fallen power lines, keep well away and call 105 straight away.
How long does food stay safe in a power cut?
Keep the doors shut. A closed fridge usually stays cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer stays frozen for up to about 48 hours, and a half-full one for about 24 hours. If in doubt, throw it out, especially meat, fish, dairy and cooked food.
Will my landline work in a power cut?
Not if it's a digital landline, which is what most homes now have: the phone plugs into the router, and the router needs power. Keep a mobile phone charged. If you or someone you look after has a care alarm on the landline, ask your provider about battery backup. A power station can keep the router and alarm running.
Can I run a generator indoors during a power cut?
No. Never run a petrol or diesel generator, or a barbecue, inside your home, garage, shed or tent. They give off carbon monoxide, which can kill. A battery power station gives off no fumes and is safe indoors.
Why has my water stopped in a power cut?
Many rural Cornish homes get water from a private borehole or spring with an electric pump, and some have a pumped septic tank or sewage treatment plant. These stop when the power goes. A power station can run a pump in short bursts. Ask us, and check the pump's wattage first.
Ready when you are.
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