Preparing for a Power Outage in Perth: Kit and Plan
Preparing for a power outage before storm season turns a blackout from a crisis into a minor inconvenience. A little preparing for a power outage, a simple kit and a plan, means you are not hunting for a torch in the dark. Here is what to have ready in your Perth home.
Why prepare?
Perth’s storm season brings outages that can last hours, and they always seem to arrive at night or during dinner. Preparing for a power outage in advance means light, communication and food are sorted, and anyone relying on medical equipment is covered. Ten minutes of preparation saves a lot of stress later.
6 essentials for preparing for a power outage
- Torches and a battery lantern, not candles
- Charged power banks for phones
- A battery or hand-crank radio
- Drinking water and some non-perishable food
- A cooler and ice packs for the fridge’s overflow
- A plan for anyone on medical equipment
Light without fire
The first part of preparing for a power outage is light, and the safe choice is torches and battery lanterns, not candles. Candles cause house fires every year, exactly when you cannot see well. Keep a torch somewhere everyone can find in the dark, and check the batteries before storm season arrives.
Keep communication going
A flat phone in a long outage is a real problem, so preparing for a power outage means keeping charged power banks on hand. A battery or hand-crank radio is worth having too, for updates if the mobile network is affected. Being able to check outage information and call for help matters.
Food, water and the fridge
Keep some drinking water and non-perishable food that needs no cooking. For the fridge and freezer, the rule is to keep the doors shut, a closed fridge stays cold for about four hours. A cooler with ice packs helps for the most important items if the outage runs long into the evening.
Medical equipment
The most important part of preparing for a power outage is planning for anyone who relies on powered medical equipment. Know how long any battery backup lasts, have a plan to relocate if needed, and make sure your energy provider knows if someone in the home has life-support equipment registered.
Reporting and information
Know how to report an outage and check restoration times before you need to. If the power is out, it helps to know whether it is a network-wide outage or a fault at your place. Preparing for a power outage includes having that information to hand, rather than searching for it in the dark.
Backup power
For those who want it, a generator with a proper changeover switch, or a home battery, keeps the essentials running through a long outage. Both need a licensed electrician to install safely. It is a bigger step, but for some homes, preparing for a power outage properly means having backup power ready.
Keep the kit together
A kit only works if you can find it in the dark. Keep the torch, power bank and radio together in one known spot, not scattered through drawers around the house. A labelled box in an easy-to-reach cupboard is all it takes.
Check it before summer
Batteries go flat and power banks discharge over months, so check the kit before each storm season. Five minutes to test the torch, top up the power bank and refresh the water means everything actually works on the night you need it.
A little goes a long way
You do not need an elaborate setup. Light, a way to charge a phone, some water and food, and a plan for anyone who needs power for health reasons covers most of it. That modest kit turns a stressful night into a manageable one.
Why use a licensed electrician
If your outage is a fault at your place rather than the network, or you want backup power installed safely, a licensed electrician can help. For network outages, the Western Power outages and network page has restoration information.
Getting ready for storm season in Perth?
ACS Electrical helps with backup power and fault repairs across the metro. Explore our what to do in a power outage guide, generator safety guide or solar in a power outage guide. Call 0419 967 838.
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