Power Cut Preparation UK: Free 3-Day Emergency Checklist

Most power cuts in the UK are local and short-lived, but even a brief outage can affect lighting, heating, cooking, internet access and mobile phone charging.

Having a basic household plan isn’t about expecting the worst. It simply means knowing where your torches are, having a little food and water available, and making sure everyone in the house knows what to do if the power suddenly goes off.

I’ve created a free three-page printable checklist to help you check what you already own, identify any gaps and prepare without spending money unnecessarily.

What if the power and internet both stop working?

Your broadband router needs electricity, so a power cut will normally stop your home internet immediately.

Mobile phones may continue working for a while, but local phone masts can also be affected. Networks may become busy, batteries eventually run down and online information might not be available when you need it.

That makes a few simple offline backups useful:

• Important telephone numbers written on paper

• A battery-powered or wind-up radio

• Offline maps saved to your phone

• Printed instructions for essential equipment

• An agreed family meeting place

• Walkie-talkies for short-range communication

Walkie-talkies don’t need mobile signal or internet, but their practical range can be limited by buildings, terrain and local conditions. Test them where you expect to use them rather than relying only on the distance shown on the packaging.

Why prepare for at least three days?

Seventy-two hours is a practical starting point for household planning. It is not a prediction and it does not mean electricity will definitely be restored within three days.

Different incidents can last for very different lengths of time. Your needs will also depend on the number of people in your home, the weather, medical requirements, pets and whether the water supply is affected.

Starting with three days makes the job manageable. Once the basics are covered, you can gradually add more if your circumstances require it.

Water

The checklist uses a planning amount of 3 litres of drinking water per person per day.

For a household of four people:

4 people × 3 litres × 3 days = 36 litres of drinking water

That figure is for drinking. You may need additional water for:

• Cooking and preparing drinks

• Washing hands

• Cleaning utensils and surfaces

• Personal hygiene

• Pets

• Baby formula

• Medical equipment or health needs

Use clean, food-safe containers and keep stored water somewhere cool and away from direct sunlight. A water filter and purification tablets can provide useful backups, but they don’t replace having some clean drinking water ready to use.

Food and cooking

Choose familiar food your household will actually eat. Include options that can be eaten cold or require little preparation:

• Ready-to-eat tinned food

• Long-life meals

• Crackers and snacks

• Dried fruit and nuts

• Cereal

• UHT milk

• Tea, coffee and comfort foods

Remember to keep a manual tin opener with your supplies.

An outdoor camping stove can provide a useful cooking backup when used correctly, but it must remain outdoors.

Never use camping stoves, barbecues or petrol or diesel generators indoors, inside tents, in garages or in other enclosed areas. They can produce carbon monoxide, which can cause serious illness or death.

Keep outdoor cooking equipment away from doors, windows and air vents, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and make sure it is completely cool before storing it.

Lighting and charging

Torches and battery lanterns are safer and more practical than relying on candles.

Useful items include:

• Headtorches for hands-free use

• Handheld torches

• A battery lantern for the main room

• Spare batteries

• Charged power banks

• The correct charging cables

• A car USB charger

Try to keep these items together somewhere everyone can reach in the dark.

Avoid using your phone as your main torch if you can. Preserving its battery may become more important if the outage lasts longer than expected.

Communication

A battery or wind-up radio can provide updates when the television, broadband and mobile network aren’t available.

Write down the frequencies of local and national radio stations in advance and keep them with the radio.

It is also sensible to have the following on paper:

• Family telephone numbers and addresses

• Medical and emergency contacts

• Insurance details

• Your agreed family meeting place

• The number for reporting a power cut

In Great Britain, call 105 to report or obtain information about a power cut. In Northern Ireland, use 03457 643643. For immediate danger or a life-threatening emergency, call 999.

Warmth, medical supplies and hygiene

If the heating stops during cold weather, choose one main room and close doors to unused rooms. Close curtains, use sleeping bags and blankets, and wear several warm layers including hats and thick socks.

Check that you have:

• A household first-aid kit

• Regular medication

• A printed medication list

• Spare glasses and daily essentials

• Batteries or charging arrangements for medical equipment

• Toilet paper

• Soap and hand sanitiser

• Wet wipes

• Bin bags

• Sanitary products where needed

• Cleaning supplies

If someone relies on a medical device, telecare system, diabetes monitor or other connected equipment, check in advance how it works without electricity, mobile signal or broadband.

Eligible households should also consider joining their energy supplier’s Priority Services Register.

Download the free printable checklist

This free three-page printable checklist covers water, food, cooking, lighting, charging, communication, warmth, health, hygiene, documents and general household checks.

It includes tick boxes for completed items and space to record quantities, missing supplies and anything you still need to check.

DOWNLOAD FREE 3-DAY POWER CUT CHECKLIST (PDF)

You can also explore my other free bushcraft and preparedness guides.

Final thoughts

Before buying anything, check what you already own.

You may already have suitable torches, blankets, a radio, power banks, camping equipment and long-life food spread around your home. Bringing the useful items together and making sure they work can be more valuable than buying an expensive ready-made emergency kit.

Build your supplies gradually, check batteries and expiry dates every six months, and make sure everyone in the household knows where everything is kept.

A short practice evening without mains power can also reveal simple problems while they are still easy to fix.