How to Keep Your Home Comfortable During a Power Outage

A power outage can turn an ordinary evening into an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe situation. In Australia, a blackout may follow a summer thunderstorm, bushfire, flood, fallen tree or extreme heat event. Even a short interruption can affect air conditioning, refrigeration, lighting, internet access and medical equipment.

Good preparation helps your household stay cooler, warmer and calmer while electricity is unavailable. By planning for the first few hours, protecting essential appliances and understanding safe backup options, you can reduce disruption without relying on improvised solutions.

Prepare A Household Blackout Kit

Store emergency supplies in a clearly labelled container where everyone can reach it. Include torches with spare batteries, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a first-aid kit, bottled water, shelf-stable food, medications, a manual can opener and a power bank for mobile phones. Head torches are especially useful because they leave both hands free for moving around or caring for children.

Keep several litres of drinking water available, particularly in hot areas such as Brisbane, Darwin and regional Western Australia. A blackout can affect electric pumps and water systems, while shops may close or electronic payment terminals may stop working. Households with babies, older people or pets should also keep suitable food, necessary medication and comfort items ready.

Write down important phone numbers and keep a paper copy of local emergency information. Depending on your location, useful contacts may include the State Emergency Service, the electricity distributor and Triple Zero for immediate threats to life or property. A charged power bank is valuable, but it should support communication rather than encourage constant streaming, which quickly drains the battery.

Keep Rooms Cool In Summer

During a summer outage, close blinds, curtains and external shutters as soon as the power fails. Keep windows shut while outdoor air is hotter than indoor air, then open them when the evening temperature drops. If there is a breeze, create cross-ventilation by opening windows on opposite sides of the home, while using flyscreens to keep insects out.

Move household activity to the coolest room and avoid using the oven or stovetop. Drink water regularly, wear loose, lightweight clothing and use damp towels on the neck or wrists for short-term relief. Battery-operated fans can improve comfort, although they will not cool a room in the same way as refrigerated air conditioning.

Heat can become dangerous quickly for infants, elderly people and anyone with a medical condition. Watch for dizziness, confusion, weakness, nausea or unusually hot, dry skin. If someone shows signs of heat illness, move them to a cooler place, offer water if they are conscious and seek medical assistance. In a prolonged outage, consider visiting an air-conditioned library, shopping centre or community relief centre if local authorities advise that it is safe.

Stay Warm During Cold Weather

A winter blackout requires a different approach. Close internal doors to unused rooms and block draughts around doors with rolled towels. Layer clothing, wear warm socks and use blankets rather than trying to heat the whole house. A small, insulated room can retain body heat more effectively than a large open-plan living area.

Never bring a barbecue, camping stove, outdoor heater or fuel-burning appliance indoors, even near an open window. These devices produce carbon monoxide, an odourless gas that can cause serious illness or death. Do not use a gas oven as a room heater, and keep candles away from curtains, bedding, pets and children.

If you use an electric blanket or portable heater with a generator or battery system, follow the equipment instructions carefully and avoid overloading the supply. Homes in Canberra, Tasmania and alpine parts of Victoria may need extra winter preparation, including warm bedding, insulated windows and a safe plan for vulnerable family members.

Protect Food, Water And Appliances

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed for as long as possible. An unopened refrigerator generally keeps food cold for several hours, while a well-stocked freezer can remain frozen considerably longer. Place a thermometer inside each appliance if possible, and discard food that has become warm or smells unusual. When in doubt, throw it out; food poisoning is not worth the risk.

Before an outage, turn off and unplug sensitive electronics such as televisions, computers, gaming systems and microwave ovens. When power returns, voltage fluctuations can damage equipment. Leave one light switched on so you know when electricity has been restored, then wait a few minutes before reconnecting appliances gradually.

If your home uses a bore, electric hot-water system, electric garage door or electronically controlled gate, plan for manual alternatives. Keep the release instructions for a garage door accessible, and avoid opening a powered gate by force. People using electrically powered medical equipment should arrange a backup battery and speak with their healthcare provider about an outage plan well before an emergency.

Use Backup Power Safely

Portable generators can run selected appliances, but they must be operated outdoors in a well-ventilated area, far from doors, windows and vents. Never connect a generator directly to a household wall outlet. A licensed electrician is required to install a safe changeover switch, which prevents electricity from flowing back into the grid and endangering line workers.

Choose backup capacity according to your genuine priorities. A small battery may power phones, lights, a modem or a medical device, while a larger unit could support a refrigerator or fan. Solar panels alone usually stop supplying power during a grid failure unless they are paired with suitable battery storage and approved backup equipment. Check product instructions and local electrical requirements before purchasing.

Australian households should also consider the way local outages occur. Bushfire-prone communities may lose power during emergency shutdowns, while coastal areas can experience storm damage and flooding. Electricity distributors such as Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Energex and Powercor publish outage information for their service areas, so save the relevant outage page or app before an incident occurs. For general household planning and comfort-related information, ComfortGuard resources can also be included in your preparation routine.

Manage Connectivity And Household Safety

Mobile networks may become congested during a major storm or bushfire, and home internet usually stops if the modem loses power. Send essential messages early, keep calls brief and use text messages when networks are busy. A car charger can provide another way to recharge a phone, but never leave a vehicle running inside a garage or enclosed space.

Use torches instead of candles wherever possible. If candles are necessary, place them in stable holders on a clear, heat-resistant surface and extinguish them before leaving the room or going to sleep. Check that smoke alarms are working, and remember that some security systems, intercoms and electric locks may not function without their backup batteries.

Pets can become unsettled by darkness, alarms and storms. Keep them indoors where safe, make sure they have water and prevent them from approaching generators, power cords or damaged electrical equipment. Stay away from fallen lines and report them to the electricity distributor or emergency services. Treat every fallen wire as live, even if nearby houses appear to have no power.

Keep a written outage plan on the fridge with meeting points, medication details, emergency contacts and instructions for children. Explain which rooms to use, how to find torches and when adults should check the refrigerator, generator or battery system. Regularly test supplies, replace expired food and recharge power banks so the plan remains useful when the next blackout arrives.

Build the plan around your household’s real needs before the next storm, heatwave or bushfire warning. Gather essential supplies, arrange safe backup power and identify a cool or warm place where everyone can stay comfortably. A few practical steps today can make an unexpected loss of electricity far easier to manage.