Power
Planning for a Power Cut with an Older or Vulnerable Relative
3 min read · Last reviewed 22 September 2026
Register them on the free Priority Services Register, so their energy network knows to prioritise them. Check whether their phone and any telecare alarm will work in a power cut, because digital landlines stop without power. Keep a torch within reach, layers and blankets for warmth, a charged mobile, and agree who will check on them.
Register them on the Priority Services Register
The Priority Services Register is a free service run by energy suppliers and network operators across the UK. People who can join include those of pensionable age, anyone with a disability or long-term illness, people who rely on medical equipment that needs electricity or water, and households with children under five.
Being on it means advance notice of planned power cuts, priority updates during an outage and, for people who depend on powered medical equipment, extra practical support. You can help them register with their electricity and gas companies, and they can nominate a relative or carer as a contact.
Check the phone still works without power
Landlines across the UK are moving to digital. A digital landline needs mains power for its router and handset, so it stops working in a power cut unless there is a battery back-up. Many older people still rely on the landline as their main way to call for help.
Providers must have a way for customers to reach the emergency services for at least an hour in a power cut, and must offer it free to people who depend on their landline. If your relative is in that position, ask their provider for it.
Telecare alarms, such as pendant alarms, may not work on a digital line in a power cut either. Ask the telecare provider how their device behaves when the power is off, and make sure your relative also has a charged mobile phone.
Medical equipment
If they rely on equipment that needs mains power, such as oxygen concentrators, home dialysis or powered beds, speak to whoever supplied it about how long any battery lasts and what to do in an outage. Keep a paper copy of the instructions and the supplier's emergency number with the equipment.
Do not assume a general-purpose power bank or portable power station can run medical equipment. Check with the supplier first.
Keeping warm
Most central heating stops in a power cut, because boilers need electricity for their pump and controls. The NHS advises heating the rooms you use to at least 18°C where you can, particularly for people aged 65 and over or with health conditions, and cold homes are hardest on exactly this group.
- Several thin layers, a hat and warm socks, rather than one thick jumper
- Blankets over the knees and shoulders, not just on the bed
- Gather in one room, close the door and draw the curtains
- Hot drinks from a flask filled before the power went, and a hot meal if there is a way to make one
Agree a plan with them
Agree now who will check in if the power goes, and how: a call to the mobile, a neighbour knocking, or a visit. Put a torch where they would be when the lights went out, usually by the bed and the chair they sit in, rather than in a drawer across the room.
Write the key numbers on paper by the phone: 105 for power cuts, their network operator, the telecare provider and a family contact.
Small things that make a big difference
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- Check price on Amazon
LED torch
A phone torch drains the battery you need for calls. A proper torch is the most useful thing in a power cut.
Rechargeable lantern, about £14
- Check price on Amazon
USB power bank
Keeps phones alive for calls, alerts and torch use. Charge it every few months so it is ready.
20,000mAh power bank with built-in cable, about £50
- Check options on Amazon
Vacuum flask
Fill it before an expected outage and you still have hot drinks and hot water hours later.
1L vacuum flask, about £17
- Check options on Amazon
Warm layers
Without heating, layers do the work. Set aside a base layer, fleece and hat per person rather than digging through wardrobes in the dark.
Fleece, hat and gloves set, about £30
- Check options on Amazon
Warm blanket
One proper blanket per household beats several thin ones, and it is just as useful in the car.
Fleece blanket, about £13
Build a kit for their home
Set the household, tick that someone relies on mains-powered medical equipment if they do, and the builder adds back-up power planning and the Priority Services Register to the list.
Build their kitCommon questions
- Who can join the Priority Services Register?
- People of pensionable age, disabled people, people with a long-term or mental health condition, those who rely on medical equipment that needs electricity or water, households with children under five, and others who need extra support. It is free.
- Will a digital landline work in a power cut?
- Not on its own. Digital landlines need mains power for the router and handset. Providers must offer a free back-up solution giving at least an hour of access to emergency services to customers who depend on their landline.
- Will a telecare pendant alarm work in a power cut?
- It may not, if it runs over a digital landline. Ask the telecare provider how their device works without mains power, and make sure the person also has a charged mobile phone.
- How can I keep an elderly person warm without heating?
- Several layers, a hat, and blankets. Keep everyone in one room with the door closed and curtains drawn, and have hot drinks from a flask filled early. Never use outdoor heaters or stoves indoors.
Useful sources
- Priority Services Register (thepsr.co.uk)
- UK transition from analogue to digital landlines (GOV.UK)
- Keep warm, keep well (NHS)
- Find your electricity network operator (powercut105.com)
My Emergency Kit is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government or emergency services. Our suggestions are general information for UK households, not professional, medical or emergency advice. In an emergency call 999.
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