Black sky event guidance explains who can sign up for priority support in a power cut

Households that may need extra support in a power cut are being urged to join the Priority Services Register.

The advice also includes key stages on how a power cut might unfold and exactly which step to take to find out how residents will be affected.

While the government is not explicitly predicting a widespread power cut will affect the UK, guidance has been provided on how billpayers can respond should such a situation occur.

What is a black sky event?

A ‘black sky event’ is a catastrophic, long-lasting failure of the electricity grid, with knock-on effects on communications, banking and transport.

If a national power shortage does occur, according to the government’s Be Ready guidance, launched on 22 October, it’s possible ‘emergency power cuts could be scheduled on a rotating area-by-area basis,’ and each area in country ‘would be scheduled to disconnect from the electricity grid for around three hours at a time.’

Power cuts have not been ruled out (Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

To find out when your turn on the rota would be, you need to know your load block letter.

This can be found by entering your postcode at powercut105.com or on some electricity bills, depending on the electricity provider. You can call 105 to reach your network operator for free.

This applies to Great Britain as Northern Ireland has its own operator, NIE Networks with its own block map.

By knowing the load block letter, it could be possible to stay aware of when a power cut affecting you will be scheduled and to plan ahead for this event – for example charging phones and other devices ahead of this time, cooking food in advance and heating the home in preparation for an hours-long switch off.

However, it is important to note that in a black sky event the grid would completely shut down, so a load block letter would not apply.

What is the Priority Services Register?

The Be Ready guidance advises eligible households to join their supplier’s and network operator’s Priority Services Register before an emergency, including pensioners, people registered as disabled, pregnant women, those with young families and other groups listed below.

The list is not fixed, and anyone can approach their supplier and ask to be added.

Energy supplies could be disrupted by a cyberattack or other causes (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Among those already listed as eligible to apply are families with children under five.

The Priority Services Register is a free service run by energy suppliers and network operators. To use the service, you’ll need to register with both your supplier and network operator.

Priority services can include advance notice of a planned power cut and extra help in an emergency, but this varies by provider.

Who can register for priority support in a power cut?

-Pensioners

-People who are registered as disabled

-Those who rely on power for medical equipment

-Pregnant women and those with children under 5 years old

-Anyone facing temporary situations like recovering from surgery or bereavement

-People who struggle to speak English or who have other communication issues

For more information see Ofgem’s Priority Services page and the GOV.UK Be Ready power cuts page.