Priority means nothing to the National Grid ESO*

Dear Priority Services Register customer
In recent months there has been speculation in the newspapers and on television about the prospect of “power sharing” or planned power cuts this winter in the unlikely scenario of a national energy shortage this winter.

We are writing to all the customers on our Priority Services Register to help you prepare for winter. While this winter is expected to be challenging, there is no guarantee emergency measures will be necessary. National Grid ESO’s view remains that there will be adequate electricity supplies through the winter. Power sharing would only be used as a very last resort after all other options have been exhausted.

Power cuts might be uncommon, but they can happen all-year-round so it’s important you are prepared and know what to do.
Emergency power cuts are unlikely to happen, but if they do it is important you know:
You will have no power for at least three hours at a time, once or twice a day.

Priority Services Register customers will lose power in an emergency.

Being on the Priority Services Register does not offer you any protection from the national power cuts. {Emphasis added}

Your gas boiler, heat pump, broadband and home phone will not work during the power cut.
Due to the national scale of the power cuts, UK Power Networks cannot supply generators/backup power to customers for these emergencies.
To prepare you should:
Find your block letter (and rota, when published) at powercut105.com
Keep a mobile phone fully charged (if you have one) so you can use it to go online for updates or call if you have a power cut.
Keep a torch handy in case you are without power during the night.
Have warm clothes, blankets and food which doesn’t need heating accessible.
In the unlikely event you do ever experience a power cut call 105 or visit the 105 website for more advice on what to do.

Yours,

Ian Cameron
Director of Customer Service and Innovation

{Ed: *  ESO = Electricity System Operator }