Tips to help you prepare for a planned outage

We know any outage is disruptive. If we’ve notified you that a power outage is planned, then rest assured this work is really important.

Electricity is essential for us all. Our crews are fixing faults and maintaining the power lines to make sure your power is safe and reliable. We also need to ensure the power stays on for hospitals, medical facilities, supermarkets and other essential community services.

As well as this urgent work, we will continue checking, upgrading and replacing equipment and trimming trees to make sure the network is safe and reliable. So, please respect our crews as they work to keep the lights on and prevent the risk of major disruptions later.

We’ve put together some tips we hope will be useful in making outages less disruptive.

Look after your health

Have a contingency plan ready if you rely on life support equipment or need electrical items to care for babies, the disabled, elderly or pets. Keep warm with extra layers or blankets.

Electric garage doors, gates and fences

Check that these can be operated manually or open them before the outage if required.

Charge mobile phones, laptop computers and portable backup batteries

Charge up the day before so you can still communicate with friends and family, get updates about when power will be restored or reach emergency services when needed.

Have alternative energy available

If you have alternative energy sources for powering water pumps and equipment or for cooking (like diesel generators or BBQs), then make sure they are fuelled and operational. Be safe – outdoor equipment should not be used inside your home. Also have battery powered lamps or torches on hand.

Back up computer files

Make sure important computer-based records for your home, study or work are backed up and if necessary, saved on an external hard-drive or storage device before the planned outage begins.

Download some entertainment

We appreciate that streaming services on television or portable devices are important. If you can, download your favourite movies or television shows to a portable device so you don’t miss out during an outage.

Keep connected using a hotspot

Your modem won’t work without power but you can still access the internet, school or work files via data connection on your mobile phone.

Be prepared with a Power Pack

Prepare a Power Pack with essentials like a torch, spare batteries and a fully charged power bank. Having these items ready and stored in a handy place means you can stay connected until power is restored.

Keep food safe

Make sure your refrigerator is set to five degrees or below to ensure food stays as fresh as possible. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. An unopened, full freezer will retain its temperature well enough to preserve food for two days. For more information, visit the Australian Institute of Food Safety.

Pre-heat, or pre-cool, your home

If you have an electric heating/cooling system, then use it to obtain a comfortable temperature before the planned outage is due to begin. Then prevent temperature loss by draught-proofing doors and windows and keeping them shut. Close curtains at night to keep the heat in, or open windows (if you can) to let any breeze in.