Power Outage Preparation Checklist (Printable)
A printable checklist for power cuts of any length: what to prepare now, before a forecast outage, during it, and when the power comes back.
Outages are much easier when the decisions are made in advance. Print this, tick through the first section on a quiet weekend, and keep it with your torch.
Now, before any outage
- Write down on paper: your utility's outage number, your electrician, your medical equipment supplier, and family contacts
- Put torches or LED lanterns where you can find them in the dark, with spare batteries
- Keep a power bank charged, and a car charger for phones
- Get a battery or wind-up radio for news when mobile data fails
- Fit a battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm near sleeping areas, and test it
- Store drinking water: about 4 litres (1 US gallon) per person per day, for three days
- Keep food that needs no cooking or refrigeration
- List what must stay powered: medical devices, fridge, router, sump or well pump, lights
- Work out the watts and watt-hours for that list with the inverter size calculator
- Learn how to open electric garage doors and gates manually
- Find the main switch or breaker, and the water main, and make sure everyone can reach them
- If you depend on powered medical equipment, tell your supplier and register with your utility's priority list
Backup power checks (every few months)
- Run the UPS or inverter on battery for a few minutes with the normal load
- Check backup time against what you expect with the backup time calculator
- Top up lead-acid battery water with distilled water only, if they are flooded batteries
- Check battery terminals are tight and free of white or green corrosion
- Confirm there is a DC fuse between battery and inverter, and cables are not hot after use
- Charge power stations to at least 50–80% if stored
- Start the generator, run it for a few minutes under load, check oil and fuel
- Rotate stored fuel and add stabiliser
Before a forecast outage or storm
- Charge everything: power stations, power banks, phones, laptops, spare batteries
- Turn the fridge and freezer to their coldest settings a day ahead
- Fill spare freezer space with bottles of water
- Fill containers with drinking water, and a bath for flushing if you rely on a pump
- Fill the car's tank; fuel stations need power too
- Get some cash out
- Bring in or tie down anything the wind can throw
- Download maps and anything else you may need offline
During the outage
- Check whether it is only your home: main switch, breakers, neighbours
- Report it to the utility
- Switch off heavy appliances and sensitive electronics
- Leave one light switched on so you know when power returns
- Keep fridge and freezer doors shut: food stays safe about 4 hours in the fridge, 48 in a full freezer
- Run only what is on your essentials list from backup
- Generator outdoors only, at least 6 m (20 ft) from doors, windows and vents
- Never plug a generator into a wall socket
- Never heat the home with a gas oven, grill, camp stove or charcoal
- Use torches, not candles, where you can
- Stay away from fallen power lines and anything touching them, including water
When the power comes back
- Wait a few minutes before switching heavy appliances on, then bring them back one at a time
- Check fridge and freezer temperatures; discard food that has been above 4 °C (40 °F) for over 2 hours
- Let the backup batteries recharge fully before relying on them again
- Do not use anything that has been in flood water until an electrician has checked it
- Note what ran out first, and fix it before the next outage
Useful guides
Work it out for your own setup
Common questions
What should I do first when the power goes out?
Check whether it is just your home by looking at the main switch or breaker and your neighbours' lights. Report it to your utility if it is wider. Then switch off heavy appliances and sensitive electronics, leave one light switched on so you know when power returns, and keep fridge and freezer doors shut.
What should be in a power outage kit?
Torches or LED lanterns with spare batteries, a charged power bank, a battery or wind-up radio, drinking water, food that needs no cooking, a first-aid kit and any medicines, cash, paper copies of important phone numbers, and a battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm if you will use any fuel-burning equipment.
How much water should I store for a power outage?
Emergency guidance commonly suggests about 4 litres (one US gallon) per person per day for at least three days, more in hot weather or for young children, the ill or pets. Homes on a well pump or a pressure booster lose water when the power goes, so store more.
