What stops working in a power cut
Sources awaiting check
Work it out for your home
Worked example
For a gas boiler, a heat pump, storage heaters, a gas hob, mains water, a landline through the router and a fridge-freezer:
- Stops working: gas boiler (combi or system), heat pump (air or ground source), landline that plugs into your broadband router, fridge and freezer.
- May stop or run down: storage heaters, gas hob.
- Usually keeps working: mains water.
Source: National Grid, awaiting check; NHS, awaiting check; gov.uk Prepare, awaiting check; Ofcom, awaiting check; Food Standards Agency, awaiting check
Lots of things in a modern home need electricity even when they don't look electric, such as most gas boilers and landlines that plug into the broadband router. Tick what your home has to see what stops, what may keep going for a while, and what to do about each one.
How it works
Each answer comes from official advice, linked under your results. Where it depends on your exact model, such as a gas hob, we say so and suggest checking the manual now, before you need it.
FAQs
Why does my gas boiler stop in a power cut?
Most gas boilers need electricity for their controls, pump and ignition, so they stop even though the gas is still on.
Will my landline work in a power cut?
Not if it plugs into your broadband router, unless you have a battery backup. Ask your phone provider.
Read the guide: Does a gas boiler work in a power cut?
More tools
- Backup power: which do I need?Tick what you'd want to keep going in a power cut. We'll tell you whether a power bank is likely to be enough, or whether to look at a portable power station on our sister site Ferncharge.
- Your home in a power cut: household planTell us who lives with you and how your home is heated, and get a plan for what stops working, what to do in the first hour and first day, who to call and what to keep in the cupboard.
- Who to call in a power cutPick where you live and get the number to call, a link to find your local network operator, and where to report a cut or check for updates.
Sources
- Which heating works in a power cut (National Grid), awaiting check
- Carbon monoxide safety (NHS), awaiting check
- gov.uk Prepare power cut advice (gov.uk Prepare), awaiting check
- Digital landlines and power cuts (Ofcom), awaiting check
- Food safety in a power cut (Food Standards Agency), awaiting check