You may have heard at certain points in the media talk about a potential for rolling power cuts this winter. In the background at Disability Sheffield, we have been following up on what the implications of this might be to disabled peoples’ lives. Whilst these cuts are unlikely to happen we hope some information will helpful and prompt the most medically dependent to make some additional checks and preparations.
Advice for everyone
If you are not medically dependent on electricity, then the main action you can take is to make sure you are ready for a power cut, should it happen. Northern PowerGrid, who are responsible for the wires and substations connecting electricity to your home, provide the following advice to be prepared: https://www.northernpowergrid.com/downloads/11922
Additionally, should there be a need for emergency rolling power cuts, you will need to know your Load Block letter. This is used to divide the country, the region, and the city into chunks where only some sections will be disconnected at any one time. If these cuts are ever needed, then communication would go out on TV and radio by the early evening before any rolling cuts happen. To find your Load block letter we recommend you use your postcode at either www.powercut105.com or by calling 105.
The letters between ‘A’ and ‘U’ will be used in public announcements to show when each area might have electricity turned off for 3 hours.
Note: You can also look for the information on your bill, however, we have identified some inconsistencies between some energy suppliers bills and the power distribution network view of 105 (the people who actually flick the switch on and off). Therefore, if you can, please use 105 or the website above and do not rely on your bill.
Everyone can also look at the following page for more detailed information: https://www.northernpowergrid.com/emergencypowercuts
If you are medically dependent on electricity
It is vital that you are aware that being on the Priority Service Register (PSR) does not completely protect you from power cuts whether planned or unplanned. Anyone on the PSR should have received an email and/or text now with a letter of how to prepare. For those who are non-digital letters have been posted recently, however, they may take some time to arrive. A template letter is available here in the meantime.
You should also ensure you are registered on the PSR and all details are up to date by calling 105, or for a new registration click here.
Ongoing work in the background
Prior to getting detailed information of what to expect from Northern PowerGrid, Disability Sheffield has been engaging with various partners on the resilience of different services which are key for disabled people. As such we believe that the following aspects have been considered for their resilience during any planned power cuts:
- City Wide Care Alarms.
- Analogue ‘traditional’ phone lines where you have a wire directly from the handset to the wall.
You should be aware that:
- Mobile telephones and data connections cannot be relied upon so consider the fragility of this for emergency communications if you are vulnerable. Only analogue ‘traditional’ phone lines have standards requiring a decent resilience to power cuts.
- Your broadband will not work, probably not even if you’re on full fibre and you power your router from a battery.
- Normally lifts, stair lifts, hoists etc. will not work unless they have been designed with a backup generator or battery depending on the size of equipment. Rechargeable batteries also do not work as well when they get old and need checking and replacing periodically.
- If you use Economy7 electricity for storage heaters etc. there is a small risk that your timers for controlling when you charge your heating and hot water overnight may not keep their clocks accurately and you find you are charged more. Consider how you might seek help to check these after power cuts – particularly if they are in an inaccessible form or location.
- The way our electricity system (well all systems!) have to be structured means, in reality, it is not possible to keep individual homes powered even if on the PSR. Usually, it is not your local substation and all the houses that are turned off, it is usually a substation that is a tier or two closer to the main trunk of the national electricity grid. Though we will ask questions about equality impacts etc it is important for people to understand that change is unlikely especially in the short to medium term.
We are following up on some outstanding issues and technical questions with national organisations but hope proactive questioning of organisations running the electricity system, local authority emergency response and healthcare, have helped improved the information and situation for disabled people should any increase in power cuts happen this winter.
If you have anything you’d like to share in terms of concerns then feel free to email consultations@disabilitysheffield.org.uk but note this is NOT an emergency response route and is only used to gather information and evidence for working with national organisations. For anything urgent you must interact with Northern PowerGrid if you are in South Yorkshire by calling 105.
