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The long outage checklist: days, not hours

Most outage advice assumes the power is back by dinner. This checklist is for the outage that is still going on day three, when the road is shut and the crews are elsewhere.

Before anything happens

Write down what actually has to keep running in your house, then check each item's rating plate. Store drinking water separately from the tank, keep a battery radio with spare cells, and have a paper list of phone numbers in case your phone dies. If anyone in the house depends on power for medical equipment, keep your power company's medically dependent registration current and talk to your clinician about a plan that does not rely on any single supply.

What it would keep running

  • Fridge first, then freezer
  • Modem and phone charging
  • Water pump for drinking and toilets
  • Lighting in one shared room
  • Medical devices with a clinician's plan

Day one to day three

On day one, assume the outage will be long and start rationing early. It is far easier to relax later than to claw back energy you spent on the first night. With a stored hydrogen system, check the buffer and battery level on the display, then set a daily budget in kilowatt hours that would stretch to the end of the week.

Run the washing machine only when you must, skip the dryer entirely, and cook on a gas hob or barbecue if you have one. Keep the fridge door shut, eat from the fridge before the freezer, and gather the household into one room in the evening so you only light and heat one space.

How it works →
The H2OME loop: an electrolyser splits water into hydrogen, the hydrogen is stored in a tank for weeks, a fuel cell turns it into electricity for your home, and the water returns to the loop.

Beyond the first week

Long outages wear people down more than equipment. Keep a routine, keep the modem going for news and contact with family, and check on neighbours who may be struggling without power. If you have a wind turbine or micro-hydro, it will keep topping up storage between calm or low-flow spells. Without one, stored hydrogen is finite, so plan for the point where storage runs low and you fall back on the basics.

Questions

How do I set a daily energy budget?

Divide the stored energy shown on the display by the number of days you want to last, then compare it with the kilowatt hours your essentials use per day. If the budget is short, cut heating and cooking first, because they are the hungriest loads in most houses.

Should I keep the freezer running?

Usually yes. A full freezer is a large food store and does not draw much once it is cold. Keep the lid shut and avoid opening it to browse. If storage gets very low, you can cycle it on for a few hours a day.

What if the outage outlasts my storage?

Then you are back to the basics everyone else relies on: torches, a camp stove, stored water and a battery radio. That is why the checklist includes them. Backup power stretches the comfortable period, it does not remove the need for an emergency kit.

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