Advice on staying safe throughout the winter months

Winter often brings with it extreme weather conditions and strong winds, snowfall and flooding can affect the electricity network. We’re on call 24/7 to respond to any incidents that do occur, to ensure that homes and businesses are re-connected to their electricity supply as soon as a possible.

Although power cuts are rare events for most people, it makes sense to be prepared just in case. If there is a power outage, our team of engineers are on hand to fix faults and get your power supply back as soon as possible. Our customer service team also work around the clock to keep you informed and provide advice.

We’ve listed below some advice to help keep you safe, informed and connected this winter.

It only takes a few minutes to check that you have everything you need at home in the event of a power cut and the relevant numbers handy to report it so we can help. The quicker we are alerted to a power cut, the quicker we can respond.

Our top tips for being prepared in the event of a power outage are:

• Keep the new national 105 helpline numbers close to hand – This year, the UK has introduced a new emergency hotline to report power cuts and emergencies. Just call 105 on a mobile or landline to report the problem. You can also call us direct on 0800 092 9290 (for Central & Southern Scotland) or 0800 001 5400 (for Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales & North Shropshire).
• Keep mobile charged – try to keep your mobile charged so you can give us a call on our helpline number or the national 105 helpline. Alternatively, if you’re mobile is out of battery or signal, it’s worth having an analogue phone as this doesn’t run off the main electricity supply. Remember, the 105 national helpline number is completely free to call.
• Keep a battery powered torch - leave this somewhere you can access easily so that you can use the torch to check on the fuse box and make your way around the house safely. It’s also handy to have a torch for each person living in your home.
• Avoid leaving your fridge or freezer open— your fridge and freezer should remain cold for a considerable amount of time when power if off. However, it’s best to minimise the amount of times you open the door.
• Unplug powered equipment – make sure you unplug electrical appliances such as your TV and laptop. This also includes heaters, electric fires and cookers as you may forget about them when power is restored.
• Priority service register - if electricity is crucial to your health (for instance, if you use medical equipment at home) ask to be included on our priority service register. This way if your power is off we can make sure you are supported.