Lights Out: improving people’s experience of power cuts

Energy

19 March 2026

Lights Out: improving people’s experience of power cuts 4.61 MB

This report examines how domestic consumers experience power cuts and sets out areas for improvement. Power cuts are likely to increase in number and duration as the impact of climate change increases and we upgrade the grid and install technologies to decarbonise our homes and businesses. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly dependent on electricity, using it to heat and cool our homes, work, travel and communicate.  That is why it is critical to ensure that people are getting the right treatment in a power cut. It’s also critical to get it right now, to ensure people trust the companies running the electricity system. 

Key findings:

  • We’re seeing increasing numbers of people contacting us for help with network supply issues: cases have trebled between 2019 and 2025.

  • The most common issue our clients come to us about is compensation, for which there is a known fix: better communication by electricity networks.

  • The most concerning issue is that some people who are dependent on electricity for medical needs, life-critical and otherwise, are not getting the support they need. This is further exacerbated when a power cut makes remote communication impossible for them.

  • The digitalisation of communications infrastructure- including analogue landlines being phased out- is making it more likely that people can’t call for help in a power cut.

  • Satisfaction with electricity network customer service has improved since Storm Arwen, with human interaction, accurate information and frequent updates driving that satisfaction.

We make recommendations on how to ensure electricity network customers get good service, and ensure that people generally don’t suffer preventable detriment in a power cut. We’re calling on the government, Ofcom, Ofgem and electricity networks to take action, together, to ensure people get the help they need in a power cut- whether that’s a means of contacting emergency services, or power when their life depends on it.