What is an outage
An outage occurs when electricity stops being supplied to an end-user, such as a home, a business, or an entire area. There are many reasons why an outage would occur. These can be known issues such as when hot weather adds extra pressure on the grid, to unexpected issues that happen without notice, like powerlines falling.
There are different types of power outages that can occur, including:
- planned outages, which happen when energy companies need to turn off the power for maintenance or upgrades
- unplanned outages, which occur unexpectedly due to things like storms, equipment failure or accidents
- rolling blackouts, where power is intentionally turned off in different areas for short periods to prevent the grid from being overloaded. This may be referred to as load sharing or load shedding.
During an energy emergency, power may have to be turned off to some areas, known as load sharing and load shedding, until the grid has been stabilised. This happens rapidly and customers will not be notified before they occur.
What to do if a power outage occurs
You can take important steps to prepare and stay safe when a power outage occurs.
Before
If your energy supply is threatened it is important to know what to do.
Have an emergency kit:
- Keep battery-powered torches charged and easy-to-find, remember to have spares available. Avoid candles as they can be a fire risk.
- Have a battery-powered radio ready to stay informed about weather and emergency alerts if your phone or internet service fails.
- Have a list of emergency and important phone numbers written down.
- Charge your phone, power bank and USB devices. If you plan on using a vehicle to charge your devices, be sure to run it outside in the shade with good ventilation to avoid exhaust fumes building up in and around your home.
- Prepare any emergency or health equipment you may need, including prescription medications. Take screenshots of digital in case internet service fails.
- Have cash, which can be used during prolonged outages in case electronic payment systems at local shops are down.
- For more information on what personal items to pack visit the SES website.
Prepare you home, business and property:
- Make sure you know who your energy provider is and sign up to updates and news. Your energy provider – known as energy retailer – is the company that sends your electricity or gas bill.
- Check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours.
- Make sure you have fuel in your vehicle and any back-up generators. If you have an electric vehicle, make sure it’s fully charged.
- Make sure you know how to turn off the power to your home. If water gets into your home, you'll be able to quickly and safely switch off the power at the main switch, if it's safe to do so.
- Know how any manual overrides for entry and exit to your property, like garage doors and/or property gates and doors.
- If you rely on an electric pump for your household water supply, make sure you store enough water for your needs while the power is off.
- Have a back-up to cook food and boil water when the power goes out, like a camp stove or gas BBQ.
- Back up important data, save key files and turn off sensitive equipment before a power cut.
Always call Triple Zero (000) immediately in life-threatening or emergency situations.
During
Call Triple Zero (000) immediately in life-threatening or emergency situations, always follow the advice and instructions of emergency services.
Get updates
- If an outage occurs in your area, contact your network provider for emergency information. You can find who your network provider is and the contact details by checking the top of your energy bill (gas or electric).
Stay safe
- Use a battery-powered radio or check alerts on your phone for emergency updates.
- Limit mobile phone use. Save your battery for important calls and updates.
- Avoid wires that are hanging low, on the ground or tangled in trees and storm debris.
- Do not go within 8m of fallen powerlines.
- Never drive across fallen powerlines.
- Don’t wade through floodwater. There’s a risk of electric shock if power lines are down or underground cables are exposed.
- Do not attempt to rewire your house to incorporate any external power generation sources, such as a battery or an external or portable generator.
- If you plan on using a vehicle to charge your devices, be sure to run it outside in the shade with good ventilation to avoid exhaust fumes building up in and around your home.
- Consider leaving a light on, to show you when power has been restored.
Look after your home
- Be aware that power surges can cause damage to your electrical appliances.
- Turn off and unplug any sensitive appliances such as TVs, computers and Wi-Fi routers, to prevent damage when power is restored. Consider surge protection power boards.
- Follow the NSW Food Authority’s advice on food safety after a power failure. Try to keep food safe by avoiding opening the fridge and freezer. A closed fridge can keep food cold for up to 4 hours and a closed freezer can stay cold for 24 hours.
- Always use your home appliances for their intended purposes and follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions. This is especially important for appliances designed to be used outdoors and produce toxic gases that can cause injury or death if they build up inside. These include:
- external or portable generators
- woodfired, gas and charcoal barbeques or heaters.
After
- Continue to follow the instructions of emergency services and your network provider.
- Inspect your home once the power returns to check for any risks or issues caused by the outage. If you find any risks or issues do not attempt to repair them, contact your network provider or ASP2 electrician.
- If there are non-urgent problems, contact your electricity provider (the company that sends you your electricity bill) for assistance.
- Businesses should assess damage before reopening. Check electrical systems and equipment before turning them back on.