Households across the UK are being urged to fill their freezers before Saturday to prepare for possible power cuts as severe weather conditions are forecast.
The Met Office has issued yellow national severe weather warnings for heavy rain and strong winds on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, with the conditions expected to cause travel disruption, difficult driving conditions, possible power cuts and potential flooding, with some rural communities at risk of being cut off due to flooded roads. The national forecaster said an area of low pressure will move across southern and central parts of the UK on Saturday, bringing heavy downpours and powerful gusts, particularly across southern England, Wales and the Midlands. The yellow warning on Saturday is in force from 6am until 23.59pm and households are being urged to take precautions to prepare their homes for possible flooding and power cuts.
Met Office advice recommends gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items, in the event that the power goes off. But experts also recommend another important step to prepare for power outages – and that’s keeping your freezer full.
A full freezer is much more energy efficient than an empty one and it is better equipped to stay cold during a power cut. This is because the frozen food essentially creates a solid thermal mass that holds the cold temperature for much longer.
When there is less empty space in your freezer it is harder for warm air to circulate, so the temperature inside rises more slowly and the food items essentially insulate each other, helping to retain a cold temperature for longer.
During a power cut, a freezer that is full can keep food frozen for up to 48 hours, while one that is only half-full will only be able to maintain its temperature for around 24 hours.
Anthony Mellor at Swinton Home Insurance is urging households to focus on their freezers this winter as a way to prepare for possible power cuts, and save money on energy bills in the process.
He said: “Ice build-up makes your freezer’s motor work harder and longer to maintain its temperature, consuming more electricity. In contrast, a defrosted freezer runs more efficiently and consumes less energy. To keep your machine running well, defrost when the frost build-up covers a large area and exceeds ¼-inch (0.6cm) thickness.
“Keeping your freezer full is also more energy-efficient than an empty one. A full freezer minimises the amount of warm air that can enter when you open the freezer door, plus the frozen contents help cool any warm air that does get in. This means less energy is required to bring the temperature back down.
“If that wasn’t a big enough incentive, according to the Food Standards Agency, if you were to ever experience a dreaded power cut, a freezer that is half full would hold food safely for 24 hours, but this doubles to 48 hours if completely full.”
The UK regions covered by the yellow warning for rain on Saturday, when possible power cuts could occur, include:
East Midlands
- Derby
- Derbyshire
- Leicester
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Northamptonshire
- Nottingham
- Nottinghamshire
- Rutland
East of England
- Bedford
- Cambridgeshire
- Central Bedfordshire
- Essex
- Hertfordshire
- Luton
- Norfolk
- Peterborough
- Suffolk
London & South East England
- Bracknell Forest
- Buckinghamshire
- Greater London
- Hampshire
- Milton Keynes
- Oxfordshire
- Reading
- Slough
- Southampton
- Surrey
- West Berkshire
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- Wokingham
South West England
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
- Bristol
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- Gloucestershire
- Isles of Scilly
- North Somerset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- Swindon
- Torbay
- Wiltshire
Wales
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire
- Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Telford and Wrekin
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands Conurbation
- Worcestershire
Yorkshire & Humber
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Kingston upon Hull
- North East Lincolnshire
- North Lincolnshire
- North Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire