In recent months there has been speculation in newspapers and on television about the prospect of “power sharing” or emergency planned power cuts, in the unlikely scenario of a national energy shortage this winter. UK Power Networks are writing to all the customers on their Priority Services Register to help them prepare for winter.
Information about how emergency planned power cuts could work, how long customers could be without power, and general advice can be found on the Energy Network Association (ENA)’s website here.
If customers are dependent on medical equipment that requires power, your healthcare provider should have spoken to you about a power cut plan when you received the equipment.
Emergency planned power cuts are unlikely to happen, but if they do it is important to know:
• Customers will have no power for at least three hours at a time, once or twice a day.
• Priority Services Register customers will lose power in an emergency. Being on the Priority Services Register does not offer any domestic or commercial property protection from the national power cuts.
• A gas boiler, heat pump, broadband or home phone will not work during the power cut.
• Customers should speak to their GP/NHS to make a personal backup plan for any medical equipment.
• Due to the national scale of the power cuts, UK Power Networks cannot supply generators/backup power to customers for these emergencies.
To prepare customers should:
• Make sure they know how long their backup supply for any medical equipment will work for and discuss what to do should a power cut, or emergency planned power cuts, occur.
• Test their back up plan.
• Find their block letter (and rota, when published) at powercut105.com .
In the unlikely event any customer experiences a power cut at any point throughout the year, they should call 105 or visit https://www.powercut105.com/ for more advice on what to do.
