While no one likes the idea of losing power to their home, if you’re prepared for this eventuality, you won’t have to feel completely taken off guard if and when the power to your home is lost for some reason.
Luckily, knowing what to do when the power goes off can help to ensure that you’re able to get your power back on quickly and that you don’t lose anything valuable while the power is off.
To help you with both of these things, here are three things to do if you lose power suddenly.
Check With Your Neighbors
As soon as you realize that you’ve lost power, one of the first things that you should do is check with your neighbors. Even just looking out the windows of your home can help to give you a lot of information about what might be going on.
By looking out your windows or checking with your neighbors, you can tell if there’s bad weather that may be causing the power outage, if you notice something like a transformer that’s failed, if you’re the only house that’s lost power, or if the power is out for everyone near you.
If you notice that your entire area has lost power, it’s also wise to check in with your neighbors to make sure that they’re doing okay and that you can all pull together if need be.
Make The Right Choices With Your Appliances
Once you’ve lost power, it’s wise to go around your house and check on the appliances that you have.
With some appliances, like your refrigerator and freezers, you’re going to want to keep the doors closed as much as possible. This will help to keep your food fresher for longer, hopefully until you’re able to get power again.
But the more you open the doors, the quicker the temperature in those appliances will rise, putting your food at risk. Additionally, for your other appliances, it’s wise to unplug them until the power comes back on. This way, you can avoid any issues that could happen as a result of potential power surges.
Figure Out How To Stay Comfortable
When you don’t have power coming to your house, you’ll lose the ability to use your HVAC system. So if the temperature outside isn’t comfortable during this time of year, you’ll want to find a way to keep yourself and your family comfortable.
If you have ways to warm up or cool down in your home, that’s great. If you don’t consider going around your area to find businesses that are open or scanning the radio to find out where warming or cooling centers might be set up in your area for those without power.
If you even suddenly lose power, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you know what to do next.