Most UK power cuts are short and local, but a long one shows how much quietly runs on electricity. Walk the house room by room and list what depends on power, find the stopcock, fuse box and meters, and sort dependencies by consequence rather than cost. Start an event log of outages you've already lived through, and learn the first move: is it just us?
Tasks from the book
Save the key numbers: 105 for a power cut, 0800 111 999 for gas or carbon monoxide
Find your load block letter, the stopcock and the main switch
Walk the house and list every dependency on electricity
Your Todoist task
Organise Power-outs › Discovery
Add one task in this section that puts the lesson into practice this week, with a date and a reminder.
Lesson 2 of 4 · Dream
Describe a calm outage
Picture the happy path: torches in known places, everyone knowing their job, the radio on, the freezer kept shut. Calm is a design outcome, not luck. The government's Be Ready baseline is three days without outside help; set your own levels for light, water, food, warmth and communication, and respect your household's capacity and budget.
Tasks from the book
Describe what a calm power cut looks like in your home
Set your resilience target, starting from three days
Include everyone, including children and anyone who needs extra help
Your Todoist task
Organise Power-outs › Dream
Add one task in this section that puts the lesson into practice this week, with a date and a reminder.
Lesson 3 of 4 · Design
Design the kit and the plan
Use torches, not candles, and a battery or wind-up radio. Store 2.5 to 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, plan a three-day no-cook menu and keep a thermometer in the fridge. Never use a generator, barbecue or camping stove indoors. Join the Priority Services Register if you're eligible, agree meeting points, and write your household plan on paper.
Tasks from the book
Build the 72-hour home kit and a grab bag
Write the household power-out plan on paper, with roles
Check eligibility for the Priority Services Register
Your Todoist task
Organise Power-outs › Design
Add one task in this section that puts the lesson into practice this week, with a date and a reminder.
Lesson 4 of 4 · Defend
Practise, maintain and look out for others
Ticked is not ready: run a drill and find the torch in the dark in under a minute. Entropy comes for every kit, so set a rhythm: monthly torch and alarm checks, and a ten-minute review when the clocks change in March and October, tracked with the Habit Tracker. Knock on your neighbours' doors, restore power safely, and review after every real outage.
Tasks from the book
Run a drill and time the first five minutes
Hold the six-month review when the clocks change
Check on neighbours during and after an outage
Your Todoist task
Organise Power-outs › Defend
Add one task in this section that puts the lesson into practice this week, with a date and a reminder.
Free companion printables
The Ready Household printables
Print a copy and write on it: paper works in a power cut. Start on page 2 of the planner, "Start here: 5 things in 20 minutes". Each chapter of the book tells you which planner page to fill in.
All four files, plus the Phone Pack as 12 separate images for your phone's photos.
Independent guidance, referenced to the UK Government's Be Ready campaign and not endorsed by the government, the NHS or any company named. Prices in the planner were checked on 28 October 2026 and change often. In an emergency, follow the emergency services. If life is at risk, call 999.
