Power Outages – Help & Advice
GTC aims to provide a reliable and safe electricity supply. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee an uninterrupted supply 100% of the time. To assist, here are some advice and videos offering useful information. If you ever experience a power cut please call 0800 032 6990 or 105 or visit our live incidents outage page.
Sometimes appliances in our house can cause our consumer units to trip, creating a power cut. The video below outlines how to reset your consumer unit to restore power and who to contact if power can not be restored at home.
- If you experience a power cut; first, follow the instructions in the video to reset your consumer unit.
- If an appliance has caused the outage this will need to be checked by an electrician.
- If you have reset your fuse box and still do not have power but your meter is showing a digital reading, contact your electricity supplier.
- If your meter has no digital reading or lights, you have no power – call 0800 032 6990 to report an outage. Updates can be seen via our live incidents page.
Priority Services Register
- Advanced notifications and updates
- If you are dependent on medical equipment, contact your health care providers to ensure provisions are in place
- Most modern stair lifts are battery powered and should allow for 15 rides up and down when full charged
- If your stair lift is powered by the mains, there should be a handle to allow you to continue safely to ground floor
- Register if you or your household has anyone with a sensory impairment, is medically dependant, has children under 5 or is of pensionable age.
- Further information about our Priority Services Register can be found by downloading our useful guide.
- To sign up for the Priority Services Register complete our online form or call 01359 302255.
Guaranteed Standards of Service
- GSOS Payments are governed and set by Ofgem, the industry regulator for the Gas and Electricity Industries. Network Operators, such as GTC, are obligated to abide by these standards, and payments to customers are a requirement to recognise the inconvenience, if we fail to deliver on these standards. Please refer to our Notice of Rights for Electricity and Gas to assess your eligibility prior to submitting your claim.
- To make a GSOS payment claim, please click here.
Care Homes and Assisted Living Residents
- If you run a care home or manage assisted living residences it is important that you have made appropriate emergency continuity plans should there be a power cut. Download our useful information guide which explains the precautions you should take as a business and how we can help.
Food
- Avoid opening the fridge and freezer during and after a power cut
- Food should remain fresh for up to four hours in a refrigerator. To find out more, visit the manufacturers websites.
- It is best to assess whether food items are still fresh to eat
- Prepare flasks of hot water
- Never use a portable camping stove or barbeque inside. They produce harmful gases including carbon monoxide
- It is always best to ask the manufacturer for guidelines regarding your fridge or freezer
Heating
- Heating may be affected during a power cut
- Use blankets and clothing to keep warm
- Boilers may not work during a power cut, therefore, hot water might not be available
- Do not use gas heaters in enclosed spaces, these produce harmful gases and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning when there is no ventilation. For more information on carbon monoxide click here
Pets
- Tropical fish tanks may be affected in power cuts
- Wrap the tropical tank in blankets to keep it warm. For more information on caring for tropical fish click here