6 Ways to Safely Navigate a Blackout

No one likes a power outage. They are irritating at best and downright scary at worst, but thankfully, there are steps you can take to make navigating the situation a little easier. To help you plan for such an occasion, we’ll take you through six steps you should take to safely make it through a blackout. Let’s get into it.

Make Use of Backup Power

A common load shedding solution or blackout remedy is to have a backup power generator or station on hand to keep your vital appliances going. This most commonly applies to your fridge freezer as you will want your food to stay fresh as long as possible, but your heating or A/C unit may also be a strong contender. Whatever you use your backup power for, it’s important to have it ready to go in preparation. 

Confirm There’s a Genuine Blackout

Before leaping into action with your backup plan, make sure there’s actually a genuine power outage. Check your main power supply to see if a breaker tripped. If it did, just flip it back and power should resume as normal. There are multiple reasons for this, but it’s a common occurrence that can easily be mistaken for a blackout. 

Keep the Freezer Closed as Long as Possible

The harder your freezer has to work to keep the inside cold, the more energy it will eat up. If you’re using a portable power station, you’ll only have a finite amount of energy for it to rely on. Try to keep the freezer door closed as much as possible for as long as possible to ensure no heat can get in. Your food will last longer.

Try to Preserve Battery-Powered Light

Flashlights are a commonplace solution to a blackout, but batteries don’t last forever. If you’re using battery-powered light sources to keep your home illuminated, try to only use them when absolutely necessary. There’s no way of truly knowing how long a blackout could go on for, and the last thing you want to be is stuck with no light in an emergency situation. 

Unplug Your Appliances

As a general rule, if the appliance isn’t in use or can’t be used during the blackout, unplug it entirely. Random power surges can cause significant damage, especially to more delicate devices (including television sets). It’s also easy to forget which devices you left on before the blackout hit, leading to a potential fire hazard when energy finally returns.

Prepare Ahead of Time

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, try to take preparatory steps as much as possible. Stock up on non-perishable foods, invest in backup energy sources, purchase additional batteries, and make sure you have a response plan that the whole house understands. 

Blackouts Don’t Have to be Stressful

Although they can be scary, blackouts don’t have to be an overly stressful experience, especially with the right steps in place. Our suggestions will help you to navigate a power outage no matter the cause, minimizing the discomfort and inconvenience you could experience otherwise.