How to get power cut alerts if you are medically dependent

The register is not a backup supply. It tells you a cut is coming or is under way; it does not keep a ventilator, oxygen concentrator or stairlift running. That gap is closed by a second layer, a battery or an uninterruptible power supply sized for the equipment, and by a written plan agreed with a GP, a carer and the equipment supplier.

This page sets out who qualifies, what evidence is asked for, how alerts arrive, what the guaranteed standards pay after a long cut, and how backup power fits alongside the register. Northern Ireland runs its own version, the medical care register and Customer Care Register, and the details differ from the rest of the UK.

The Priority Services Register: free power cut alerts from your network operator

The register is operated by energy network operators, and it exists to support households during a power cut or another energy emergency⁷. Membership brings a set of services rather than a single alert: a direct number to get straight through, an agreed password before visits, special help through the British Red Cross, information about planned interruptions, updates during an unplanned cut, and free 24 hour power cut alerts and text updates to medically dependent customers².

The wider package matters for a household managing a health condition. It includes regular personal meter readings, which may help stop large backlog bills building up, advanced warnings of power cuts, priority support in an emergency, and accessible information⁸. Priority support can extend to heating and cooking facilities if the supply is cut off, along with an identification and password scheme for home visits⁹.

Joining does not require changing supplier or tariff. A supplier can pass your details to your local network operator so that you get extra support during a power cut and advance notice of engineering work that could disrupt the supply¹⁰. The register is free, and the Met Office advises contacting your distribution network operator at any time if electricity is crucial for medical equipment¹.

For a household, this is the cheapest form of energy resilience available: no equipment, no installation, no maintenance. What it does not do is restore power. It buys time to move equipment, charge batteries or make other arrangements, and it depends on the operator holding correct contact details and on the phone network working. A landline or mobile that fails with the power removes the warning channel, which is why a plan should not rest on a single device.

Who counts as medically dependent, and what evidence is needed

Eligibility turns on dependence on electricity for medical care or on communication needs. Customers who depend on electricity for home medical care, or who have special communication needs, can find power cuts particularly difficult, and the register is designed for them¹¹. One energy advice line sets out a longer list of health criteria: a cardiovascular condition, a respiratory condition, a neurological or neurobiological condition, musculoskeletal conditions, blood conditions, cancer, moderate to severe mental illness, severe learning disabilities, an autoimmune or immunodeficiency disease, terminal illness, another illness exacerbated by cold and confirmed by a GP, or possession of a valid NHS Medical Exemption Certificate¹².

Evidence requirements are not uniform. Some schemes ask for a health diagnosis as part of the application¹³. Others work from a conversation about circumstances. The practical step is to ask your own network operator what it wants before applying, because the criteria are set operator by operator rather than by a single national rule.

In Northern Ireland the picture is different again. NIE Networks asks householders who rely on electricity for medical equipment to join its medical care register¹⁴. Its Customer Care Register covers customers with medical equipment at home, such as specialised mattresses, feeding systems or lifting equipment, who can register to receive up to date information by phone during a power cut or a planned interruption¹⁵. Customers who require a continuous supply of electricity for medical reasons are advised to seek advice from their local health service provider¹⁶.

How alerts reach you: phone, text, email or pager

Contact method is chosen at registration, and the channels differ by operator. Electricity North West emails and texts customers with contact details on file six days and one day before a planned power cut³. It also sends an e-card, a unique link delivered by text or email, where a mobile number or email address is held¹⁷.

For unplanned cuts, one operator notifies customers by text message as soon as is practically possible, noting that this may be after the start of the interruption¹⁸. That timing matters: an alert can arrive once the lights are already off, so equipment planning cannot assume warning comes first.

Advance notice has a specific use for households with sensory or communication needs. It gives time to charge hearing aids, visual alarms and vibrating devices before the supply goes off¹⁹. For a household using a pager, a text-capable phone or an email account monitored by a carer, the registration should record whichever channel is actually checked.

Smart meters add a second, silent channel. Smart meters can send automatic alerts to the operator when there is a power cut or a problem with the voltage²⁰. That helps the operator see an outage without waiting for calls, but it does not warn the household and it does not replace registration.

What the 24-hour compensation guarantee covers, and what it does not

The Guaranteed Standards of Performance set payments for long unplanned cuts. Where more than 5,000 homes were affected, the payment is £100 if the power is off for longer than 24 hours, then £45 for every further 12 hours, up to a maximum of £400⁴. Payment should be automatic from the network operator within 10 working days, with an extra £40 where a claim has to be made⁵.

There are firm exclusions. No payment is made for blackouts caused by a national power shortage, for damage to electrical equipment or appliances, or for a low supply after a power cut²². A cut lasting less than 12 hours would not normally attract a payment²³. For repeated cuts, each one must have lasted at least 3 hours²⁴, and the repeated cut payment is not available if compensation has already been received for any power cuts in the same 12 months; planned cuts that were notified do not count⁵.

The rules also vary by region and by circumstance. Where the number of high voltage incidents did not reach the storm threshold for the region and a household was without electricity for over 12 hours, a customer guarantee payment may be due and is sent automatically²⁵. Both figures are reported, and the position depends on the incident and the operator.

Compensation is money after the event. It does nothing for a household that needs a supply to keep medical equipment running through the night, which is why the register and a backup supply sit alongside it rather than instead of it.

Backup power at home: batteries and EPS as a second layer

A backup supply is the layer that keeps equipment running when the alert has done its job and the power is still off. The options are not equal. In some cases storage devices can provide backup supplies for use in a power cut, but this is not always possible, and the capability should be checked with the installer²⁶. The more expensive battery systems can also provide electricity during a power cut²⁷.

At household level, further innovation in home battery technology, vehicle-to-everything and solar can provide households with additional backup options during power outages²⁸. That is a statement about direction of travel as much as about what is on sale today, and it points to the two questions that decide whether a system helps a medically dependent household: does it supply power when the grid is down, and does it supply it to the right circuits.

An emergency power supply arrangement needs to cover the specific equipment in the home. Network operators advise checking mains power backup for all critical equipment, including air beds, ceiling hoists and stairlifts²⁹. Medical equipment and partner health care providers should be contacted to prepare risk management plans for equipment losing power unexpectedly²⁹.

Sizing is device-specific. The draw of a CPAP machine, an oxygen concentrator or a hoist is printed on the equipment or in its manual, and the runtime follows from that figure and the battery capacity. A general rule cannot substitute for the device rating, and the specification should come from the equipment supplier or an installer. For households weighing the options, portable power stations and home UPS systems cover the two main approaches, and essential loads and backup circuits explains how a system is wired to serve only what matters.

Making a plan with your GP, carer and supplier

The plan is the part that holds the other layers together. Care and assisted living providers are advised to contact medical equipment and partner health care providers to prepare risk management plans for equipment losing power unexpectedly²⁹.

A practical plan records the equipment, its power draw, how long it can run on its internal battery, who to call, and where the household would go if the cut outlasts the backup. It should name the network operator and the 105 number, and it should list the people who can help move equipment or provide a spare supply.

Basic preparation supports the plan. NIE Networks advises keeping a torch and batteries in the house, knowing where the fuse box is, being able to open electric gates, keeping an electric vehicle battery charged, and joining the medical care register if dependent on electricity for medical equipment¹⁴. The Met Office gives the same core advice for any household: contact your distribution network operator if electricity is crucial for medical equipment, and sign up for the free Priority Services Register¹.

Carers and care providers have a formal role. Network operators work with care and assisted living providers on behalf of the people they support³⁰, and a relative can help someone register and hold the contact details that trigger the alert. For a household in Northern Ireland, the equivalent route runs through the Customer Care Register, and the wider picture of who fixes a fault sits on the network operators page.