We’re all likely to experience a handful of power cuts during our lifetime. Electricity in the home is something we always take for granted, so when we do lose it we can struggle – even for an hour.
But what are the essential items you should always have to hand in case of an outage? Here’s a handy guide to make sure you’re prepared in case of a power cut to your home.
Lighting
A torch is always a good idea – as long as you keep charged batteries in your home too. Most of the rest of the items on this list are pretty useless if you can’t see what you’re doing with them. If you only need a small amount of light then consider a wind-up torch, so that batteries aren’t ever an issue. Or of course you could prefer candles, for a quainter atmosphere.
Entertainment
We rely on electricity for our entertainment so much in the modern world. All of a sudden your TV isn’t available, your wireless router for your internet is down, and typically any time there is a power cut your phone is already down to 10% battery. For this reason we shouldn’t ever bin the board games – dust off that Monopoly version you’ve got tucked away and sit down for some quality time.
Food
A good old-fashioned tin opener will help you out here, but that also requires a gas hob for cooking unless you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind cold beans and sausage. If your hob is electric then dig out that takeaway menu. You won’t be able to order online, but you can do it the old fashioned way by giving them a call. If you’ve a gas oven, just get a takeaway anyway – you’ll need cheering up after the stress of having no power.
That covers the essentials, but there are other things you need to know too. It’s a shame but there are a number of people who have a burglar alarm in their home without using it. That’s up to them, but in the case of a power cut you’ll need to know the master code as otherwise it will start sounding. Make sure the code is kept safe, even if you don’t use the alarm on a regular basis, otherwise you and your neighbours will be unable to get some sleep until you’ve managed to disconnect it.
The important thing you must do in any power cut is establish the fault. Call your supplier, ask the neighbours, and find out if it’s something affecting the whole street or if it’s a problem just affecting you.
If it is only your property, you’re going to need the services of a reliable emergency electrician. Make sure you have a phone number stored somewhere safe so you can give them a call and resolve the problem. Good emergency electricians will offer a 24 hour service, so any time day or night you can have your power restored.
About the author
Written on behalf of London Electricians