Are You Prepared For A Power Outage In Your Chelmsford Home Or Business?
Find out why planned power cuts occur in the Chelmsford – handy tips to help you prepare for a blackout including the possibility of generator hire.
Power cuts are a frustrating inevitability in modern-day life. Some occur due to an unexpected emergency arising, whilst others are planned in advance. With so many new developments and improvements in the city, planned power cuts are likely to increase.
Why Do Planned Power Cuts Occur?
Electricity cables become old and damaged over time, so it may be necessary for power companies to repair or replace overhead or underground wiring. In order for onsite engineers to be able to complete their work safely, it is usually necessary to turn off the power to the nearby area whilst this work is carried out. Similarly, if your neighbours have requested that they need some tasks to be completed, then this may result in power to the local area being disconnected for a short duration.
Priority Services
If there is a planned power outage in your area, then you will receive notification of it in a letter addressed to your property. Of course, whilst many of us find power cuts to be inconvenient, there are some residents who rely more heavily on electricity. Customers who are dependent on the use of electrical equipment for a disability or chronic illness can apply to be added to the Priority Services Register. Those who are listed do not have any guarantee that their power will stay on, however, they will be able to expect additional support from the British Red Cross during an outage as well as having access to a 24 hour priority helpline number.
Advice For Residents
For residents who are not listed on the Priority Services Register, there are some steps you can take to plan for an expected power outage.
Whilst some people do choose to light candles in a blackout, they should be used with care as obviously there is always a risk with open flames. It is better to arm yourself with multiple torches and a good supply of batteries. Try and ensure that your laptop and mobile phone are fully charged so that you are able to gain updates and contact people if you need to. If you have not emptied and defrosted your fridge in advance, you can usually keep the contents cold for many hours by throwing a blanket over the top of the fridge to keep it cool.
Residents who are not vulnerable should look out for any neighbours that they may be concerned about, in particular the elderly and disabled or those with young babies at home.
Advice For Businesses
If you run a business in the Chelmsford area and are due to experience a planned power outage, then you can hire backup generators to keep the electricity running. Strutt and Parker Farms recently rented a generator from the Templant Group in order to keep their power going temporarily during a blackout. Their business manages 20,000 acres of farmland across 5 different farms, so without a generator to keep their operations running, they would have found it to be extremely inconvenient and detrimental to their workload. Generators are typically available either as static or road-towable models and the service always includes 24/7 access to an engineer.
We even had to make use of our own generators recently following a local power outage, which is vital as without power, our customers cannot contact us to order an emergency hire generator.
Planning Ahead
Plan ahead and book a generator for the next power outage at your business premises. You can register for text updates regarding power cuts by sending ‘Power’ plus your postcode to 80876, or check on the UK Power Networks website.
