Why the heating stops
Gas and oil boilers need electricity for their controls, ignition and pump. Heat pumps and electric heaters need it too. Do not use a gas cooker or oven to heat a room. Cookers are not designed for it, and it can produce carbon monoxide.
Hold on to the heat
- One warm room. Choose the room that stays warmest, ideally the smallest one people can sleep in. Close internal doors.
- Curtains and blinds closed at dusk. Block draughts under doors with a rolled towel.
- Keep air moving a little. Do not seal every vent. Fixed air vents are there for a reason, especially if you have any fuel-burning appliance.
Keep people warm
Be Ready’s emergency checklist includes blankets and warm clothing for exactly this. The NHS says keeping warm helps prevent colds, flu and more serious problems such as heart attacks, strokes and pneumonia.
- Thin layers, a hat, gloves and thick socks, even indoors.
- Blankets, duvets or sleeping bags. Sit under one together.
- A flask filled while you still have hot water, or filled from a gas hob if you can use it safely with a window slightly open.
- Get up and move around every hour if you can.
Who is most at risk
The NHS asks everyone to keep in touch with older neighbours, friends and family in cold weather and ask if they need help. If you are worried someone may have hypothermia, go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111. In an emergency, call 999. The NHS hypothermia page lists the signs. If you are worried about an older person, Age UK’s advice line is 0800 678 1602, 8am to 7pm every day.
If someone relies on powered medical equipment or needs to stay warm for health reasons, the Priority Services Register can mean extra help in a power cut. Anyone on medication should ask a pharmacist about storage if the fridge goes off.
What not to do
Never use a barbecue, camping stove, patio heater or generator indoors, or in a garage, tent, porch or caravan awning. They give off carbon monoxide (CO), a poisonous gas you cannot see, smell or taste. Fit an audible CO alarm marked EN 50291 (look for the BSI Kitemark) in rooms with fuel-burning appliances.
Headache, dizziness, feeling sick, tiredness, confusion and breathlessness can be signs of CO poisoning. Get into fresh air straight away. Call 999 if someone is seriously unwell, or NHS 111 for advice. If you suspect a leak, call the gas emergency number on 0800 111 999 (0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland). NHS advice on carbon monoxide.
- Do not use candles for light or heat. Use torches.
- Do not use a gas oven, hob or camping stove to heat a room.
- Do not light an open fire or wood burner unless the chimney has been swept and checked, and you have a working CO alarm in that room. Use only the fuel it is designed for.
- Do not run a generator indoors, in a garage or near a window or door.
- Do not sleep in a car with the engine running.
When the power comes back
Most boilers restart on their own. If yours does not, check its display and the manual. Do not take the casing off. For gas appliances, use a Gas Safe registered engineer. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency number 0800 111 999, or 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland.
Official sources we used
- Keep warm, keep well (NHS)
- Hypothermia (NHS)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning (NHS)
- Power cuts (Be Ready, UK Government)
- Cold weather, snow and ice (Be Ready, UK Government)
- Cold weather-health alerts (UK Health Security Agency)
- Find a Gas Safe registered engineer (Gas Safe Register)
- The Priority Services Register (thepsr.co.uk (energy and water industry))